Staples Players’ ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Opens

Nick Rossi, Avery Mendillo, and Charlie Zuckerman take their bows tonight after the opening night Staples Players production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along,” with book by George Furth. Based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, the production opened on Broadway in 1981 and ran for only 16 performances. However, the story of three friends, Frank, Charley, and Mary, and the fraying of their bonds and their dreams has had an afterlife as a (slightly revised) version has become popular in regional and amateur productions. It is a reprise for the Players. The 2003 version included a high school senior named Justin Paul, and the Hollywood and Broadway star met with the cast last week during a visit to his hometown. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Lynn U. Miller for WestportNow.com