‘Merrily’ leads shine despite lackluster support

The Princeton University Players’ “Merrily We Roll Along,” directed by Elizabeth Swanson ’12, is an energetic and entertaining journey through the lives of three old friends who each occupy a different profession in the theater business. The show shines thanks to scene-stealing characters and memorable songs but loses some of its power due to an unbalanced level of talent in the supporting cast members.

The structure of the musical is itself a draw. Those who have never seen the show before may be surprised to find that the entire plot is presented backwards, starting with the darkest, most recent events and rolling back through the years to a simpler and more optimistic time when the characters are still teenagers looking forward to the great adventures they have before them. This structure fosters a unique emotional environment: The cheerful early years act as a poignant reminder of the pain to come. And despite this reversed format, there are still plenty of surprises to see as the play ventures back through history.

The three leads, Dan Yawitz ’12, Eamon Foley ’15 and Olivia Nice ’14, do a wonderful job bringing believability to their characters, and they have great chemistry together. Their friendship seems genuine — so much so, in fact, that the revelation of some unrequited romantic interest among them seems unrealistic in light of their very believable platonic camaraderie.

Yawitz plays Franklin Shepard, a talented songwriter whose desire to succeed has driven him to cast aside his dreams and passions one at a time. First he abandons his musically complex arrangements in favor of more commercial songs, then he drops his dedication to political and progressive shows, and eventually he abandons theater entirely in favor of producing meaningless but lucrative films. Yawitz brings just the right balance of charisma, idealism and ruthlessness to the role: His Frank is a man who becomes less likable the more charming he acts and is less satisfied with himself the more he pursues what he believes will make him happy. Yawitz’ impressive vocal performances cement him as a strong leading man capable of realistically portraying a character that is sympathetic, despicable and understandable all at once.

Foley plays Charley Kringas, a man that is as much Frank’s opposite as his symbiotic muse. Frank writes the music; Charley writes the lyrics. Frank sells his soul; Charley sticks to his beliefs. And as Frank allows a series of increasingly domineering women to lead him away from his true passions, Charley’s wife, Evelyn, stays blissfully off-stage save an adorable cameo at the end. Foley brings a shockingly energetic physicality to the role and plays the clown of the show just as well as he plays the voice of reason — especially during the song “Franklin Shepard, Inc.”

Rounding out the three main characters, Nice plays Mary Flynn, a theater critic who constantly acts as the linchpin and peacemaker of the group. It is clear that without Mary’s influence Frank and Charlie would have fallen apart much earlier than they did. Nevertheless, her total focus on her friends’ problems is clearly related to her complete inability to handle her own, which eventually pigeonholes her as an unwilling and unsuccessful martyr. Of the three leads, Nice makes the most dramatic transition both in appearance — due to some effective costuming — and attitude. Her change from depressed middle-aged alcoholic to chirpy young writer is tragic and realistic. Appropriate to her character, Nice is also the most convincingly attached to her fellow leads.

Caroline Hertz ’15 also plays a major role as Gussie, Frank’s second wife and lead actress. Hertz genuinely steals several scenes as this noxious, narcissistic and potentially unstable starlet but truly shines in the few moments when her humanity shows through. The supporting cast in its entirety also plays a memorable role as “The Blob” — the plethora of frivolous, snarky show-business folk that alternately dote on and attack the celebrity leads. However, there is a noticeable lack of balance in the talent levels of the supporting cast. Several cast members delivered fantastic acting performances yet stumbled vocally, while others demonstrated capable musical ability yet delivered their lines stiffly.

Nonetheless, I heartily recommend this show. It is clear that Swanson has taken painstaking effort with many aspects of the production. Creative staging and efficient application of the neutral setpieces saved the visuals from seeming too sparse. Similarly, frequent and dramatic costume changes helped emphasize the passage of time and differentiate between the surprisingly extensive list of minor characters. But beyond the technical aspects, “Merrily” is simply a wonderful time. There was hardly a moment when I wasn’t feeling some sort of emotion in response to the devoted performances of the leads. Do yourself a favor and catch this show this weekend — you certainly will not be let down.