It took me a while to warm to Maria Friedman’s production of Merrily We Roll Along. At first I didn’t quite get it. I was bemused rather than enthralled, as song after song appeared to fall by the wayside, seemingly surplus to requirements. I remembered reading that when Merrily debuted on the Broadway stage in 1981 it closed after just 16 performances, and I feared that I now understood why. Merrily’s many musical numbers appeared to pause the action, clumsily placed in between dialogue rather than acting as a vehicle to drive the plot forward.

Never have I experienced such a conversion mid-show; the stylised ‘tits and teeth’ so ably performed by the entire ensemble melted my cynicism and I finally understood the meaning, message and method of Merrily. This production is undeniably naff in places, but deliberately so; it revels in its high camp, it is self-empowered by the knowledge that the audience is in on the joke. If this is cheese, then it is a high-quality gorgonzola, epitomised best by numbers such as ‘Old Friends’ in Act I and ‘The Blob’ in Act II.

Merrily is set backwards in time; the action starts in the 1970s, where we meet the embittered composer Frank Shepard, whose penthouse and collection of hangers-on masks his pain and unhappiness at the compromises he has made to his art. Alongside Frank is the grouchy Mary Flynn, now apparently reliant on alcohol, whose razor tongue is still able to burst any pretence of pomp and ceremony. Notable by his absence is Frank’s one-time musical partner, the lyricist Charley Kringas. From this low point, the action retreats to the successes and first signs of trouble in the 1960s, to the early days of idealism and excitement in the late 1950s. The fact that Merrily ends on such a high, with the future looking so bright for the trio, lends the piece a thoroughly tragic undertone, the audience streaming out of the Harold Pinter Theatre leave feeling both nourished and empty at the same time.

With such boisterous energy from the entire cast, it may feel a little mean-spirited to pick out any for particular praise, yet Jenna Russell, who impressed so much during her turn in Soho Cinders at the Soho Theatre last summer, appears in her element as ‘Noo Yoiker’ Mary, effortlessly demanding attention without ever stealing scenes. Mark Umbers as Frank and Josefina Gabrielle as the feisty Broadway star Gussie Carnegie are reunited here after they last shared the stage in the excellent Sweet Charity down the road at the Haymarket a couple of seasons ago. Both provide solidly gutsy performances.  Clare Foster is sweet as Frank’s ex-wife Beth, and proves her musical theatre worth with her solo song ‘Not A Day Goes By’.

This is multi-Olivier winning Maria Friedman’s professional directorial debut, which she compares to “one big game of Sudoku… There are so many elements that need to fit together”. Friedman, a good friend of musical theatre royalty Stephen Sondheim, who has provided the music and lyrics, excels in her transfer from on-stage to off; indeed, this could be the start of something very exciting, especially if little sister Sonia remains on-hand as producer.

A final word has to be said about hair and costume: at times garish, with emphasis on mid-60s Op-Art fashion, at times stylish, with sleek lines and fitted jackets, but always witty and laced with meaning. It is clear that Merrily’s talented wardrobe team have had as much fun as the rest of the company.

Behind the greasepaint and choreography (most impressive incidentally, at the opening of Act II), there is a poignancy in Merrily We Roll Along. It says more than it originally lets on. There is a wisdom amongst the silliness. This is where Merrily’s power lies. It took me a while to become immersed into Merrily’s world. But I’m very glad I did.

Merrily We Roll Along is on at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 27 July. For more information and tickets see the Official West End Merrily We Roll Along website. Production image by Tristram Kenton.

Daniel Harrison

A graduate of Theatre Studies, Daniel has worked in a number of different areas within theatre, most recently cutting his teeth with the Communications team at BAC. He is currently Project Assistant for the Young Vic's upcoming Schools Theatre Festival, and is a champion of the power of theatre as a force for good within society.

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There has often been comment that musicals don’t appeal to young people and the bulk of the audience is often made up of people of a certain age. This may be a hideous generalisation on my part and I apologise. However, whilst there are some of us youngsters who enjoy the revivals and mega-musicals, there aren’t many shows appealing to our youthful sensibilities. Which is why, as I sit looking at shows that have closed and shows yet to open this year, I wonder if there is a change happening.

Jason Robert Brown is a composer who is popular amongst young performers. His shows may not be big hits but he is an innovator and young performers have latched on to his work. Brown also sums up how we young folk can often see musical theatre – myself included – “People of my generation think of musical theatre as being a fuddy-duddy and corny art form. I don’t think they even think of it as an art form.” This is perhaps true as most of us involved with A Younger Theatre are in our mid-twenties or younger so have grown up with shows such as Phantom of the Opera and Cats dominating the London stages. There have been a few productions in recent years that have started to shift the target audience of new work towards younger people and who are not afraid to rock the boat – who can forget the Jerry Springer: The Opera debacle? Avenue Q is a naughty Sesame Street with hilarious songs such as ‘The Internet is for Porn’ and whilst most adults will find a song about the proliferation of internet porn hilarious it is probably the younger generations who have grown up with the internet and are very tech savvy who will find it the most humorous. Loserville, which closed at the start of this year, was also fascinating as a new musical theatre piece created by young people, starring young people and pretty much for young people.

This year’s big story is of course The Book of Mormon. The show has had amazing success in America and it has finally opened here in London, breaking advance ticket sales records.  It is made by the creators of South Park and one of the composers of Avenue Q, this tells you that audience members of a nervous disposition may not enjoy this show (my mum has already refused point blank to see it after seeing a clip on the BBC’s Culture Show); to be honest I wasn’t sure I would like it as I have never been a fan of South Park. Yet listening to the soundtrack has me in stitches every time especially with its lampooning of musical theatre itself. Yet it does it out of love and the same is true of its treatments of Mormons, it isn’t mocking any the religion out of malice.

Having grown up with exposure to controversial comedians and play-it-safe musicals, it is refreshing to be able to go sit in a theatre and here them singing the C-word or making fun of The Lion King and other musicals. Love it or hate it, The Book of Mormon is a young show and it makes me very excited for the future of musical theatre.

Photo: Gavin Creel as Elder Price in The Book of Mormon. Photo (c) Joan Marcus.

Sarah Green

Sarah is a musical theatre graduate now studying for her Masters in theatre practice with hopes of going onto a PHD. She has been writing for A Younger Theatre since September 2011 on all things musical theatre related.

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I have now been living and auditioning in New York for two months and I have to say, I find the whole thing simultaneously wildly hilarious and horribly depressing. More than anything though, the New York audition circuit is simply bizarre.

Dozens of girls crawl out of bed at 5am or earlier, grab their pre-packed audition bags, and head to Midtown. Once they take the two or three trains needed to get to the audition studios from their “transitioning” neighborhoods 100 or so blocks north or south of central Manhattan, they wait outside in the bitter cold or blistering heat until the building opens and then go into the “holding room”. Yes, a “holding room”. As if you didn’t already feel like one in a herd of cattle.

They then put their names on the unofficial list and set up camp, unloading their makeup, curling irons, and simple chic dresses they cannot really afford. One of my favorite audition pastimes is watching a room full of schlumpy looking nobodies turn into a bevy of supermodels. It’s like the transformation from Beauty and the Beast, complete with fog courtesy of the thick cloud of hairspray and powder pervading the air.

Once the audition monitor arrives, everyone eagerly waits to hear whether the unofficial audition list will be honored. At this stage in the game, there may be up to a hundred names already on the list… and only seventy actors in the room? How can that be?

At every New York audition, you will find actors sleepily staggering up to the unofficial list and adding their name to the dozens already there… and then adding the names of their ten closest friends who aren’t actually in line yet.

Now, there are about a million and one reasons why these other performers haven’t yet gotten to the studio. The frantic text messages they sent all of their actor friends begging to be added to the list run the gamut from: “The F train is experiencing delays!” to  “I’m coming all the way from Philly!” and “There’s another open call I have to get to today. If you sign me up there, I’ll sign you up here! Then we can switch!”

We have all felt the pain of early morning auditions. But on the popular and extremely useful website Auditionupdate.com, one reader who lives outside of the city points out that they can suck more for some than for others. Sometimes, the first train into the city on New Jersey Transit or Metro North may not leave until 5:00 am or later. So, it is important to note that these absent actors are not necessarily lazy bums.

On the other hand, I don’t think most actors, myself included, really consider the ramifications of adding their friends to the audition list, though that’s not to say there is no discussion surrounding the topic: the aforementioned “Bitching Post” on Audition Update shows that there is debate surging.

Every name that you add to the list that is not your own may mean one more actor who does not get seen that day. Five minutes can mean the difference between getting seen and getting a job, and not even getting to sing or read because you had to go pick up your charge, Billy, from school or get to a temp job before they reach your number on the list. And if you can’t get in the room, you simply aren’t going to get hired.

I don’t think it’s fair to advise readers to never sign up their friends or vice versa.  After all, this new, more ethical system will open up work if everyone buys into it. It would be like telling everyone they should just arrive at auditions when they actually start, rather then getting there at 6am. Wouldn’t that be nice? Then we could all sleep in! But it’s simply not going to happen and it’s not a crusade you can win on your own. However, as the genius folk-rap duo Flight of the Conchords would say, “You gotta think about it. Think, think about it.”  By helping out your friend, are you simultaneously ruining someone else’s day?

If you are an American reader of A Younger Theatre and would like to contribute to the AYT USA blog series, please contact blogs[at]ayoungertheatre.com.

Sophie Schulman

Sophie Schulman is a proud recent graduate of the musical theatre program at American University in Washington, DC. While in school, she studied abroad at the British American Drama Academy and fell in love with the London theatre scene. She is interested in all genres of theatre, and enjoys looking at and writing about current arts events from an ethics perspective. She recently relocated to New York to work as an actress in the big city.

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Have you ever been tempted by Hollywood or Broadway, but were born outside of the USA and weren’t quite sure how to get an O1 visa?

Let me introduce you to Shanice Kamminga, a Dutch actress, whose hard work and perseverance has led her to landing an agent in L.A. and who is in the process of getting an O1 visa. She’s been sharing her inspirational journey on her blog and was happy to share some of her tips with AYT readers. Enjoy!

Of all places, why did you choose Los Angeles? Have you ever considered other places as well?

Aside from the fact that the system is very different in Holland and the industry much smaller, Hollywood is and has always been the big dream. So since I was eighteen I saved up money every year and then visited L.A. on holidays, and I just felt a sense of belonging. I just can’t leave the Hollywood idea behind until I’ve really tried it there. Plus the weather is so nice.

How did you learn English? Is there any difference acting in English and in Dutch?

We don’t dub movies here, so I learned nearly all my English from the movies! My parents are big movie fans, and I watched English movies with subtitles before I even went to school. Also, we had Cartoon Network in our part of the country, and all those cartoons were in English too, with subtitles. I clearly recall learning the words “audience” and “eggplant” from Courage the Cowardly Dog Show. And then I went to university where all the books and research journals were in English, so that finished it off.

How did the meetings with the agents go? How did you manage to convince the agent to sponsor your visa?

 The theatrical agent meetings went really well. It’s always so exciting to enter those big, big marble buildings in such a far away city – it really gives you the little girl in a big world feeling. I’ve been to about seven theatrical meetings, and always had really nice, easy going conversations for at least 25 minutes. I feel like I fit more with theatrical agencies, they just seemed to get me better. Commercial meetings were more sparse for me, and those were usually less exciting.

I didn’t really have to convince my agent. It’s true that most of them actually have very strong, negative preconceived notions about signing immigration papers, and it’s usually because they have no idea what it entails and perceive it as risky. But my agent already had experience with signing O visa’s I think – either that or was just very relaxed about it – and basically said: “I’ll sign your papers. Just make it easy for me.” And so I did! It’s really only five minutes of work for the sponsoring agent; most of the workload is on you.

How did you prepare and how much research was necessary to start the visa process?

Oh my God, so much. Like I said I started visiting L.A. at 18 and went back and forth for a few years, meeting with agents etc. But I just never knew how to go about the visa process – I didn’t know what the options were, it’s such a maze and was so foreign to me. It’s just been meeting people in L.A. and endless hours of Googling and calling lawyers that helped it all start to make sense. And I’ve of course worked years and years to pay for all my L.A. visits. That definitely should be part of everyone’s preparation, it’s no cheap city.

It’s actually the reason I started my blog. I thought: there must be other foreign actors like me out there, with no idea where to start or what to do. So I decided to share my knowledge and experiences and met lovely people along the way.

Your blog, where you share all your experiences, has thousands of visits each month, how do you feel about that? Do you feel that blogging and putting yourself out there has helped you in your career so far? 

It has, and it’s been a really educational experience for me because of that. I initially didn’t want to start the blog because I had no fleshed-out business plan nor clear daydreams of where it could take me, and I’m all about daydreams. I also thought blogging was a dirty word, I envisioned it as old housewives sharing every detail of the lives of their cats. I love cats, but you get the idea. However, one of my friends encouraged me to just start anyway and it’s kind of taken off from there.

It’s a lot of work to write an article every week but I’ve met people from around the world through it, and have even met up with some of them in London and L.A. and had the most magical times. It’s also gotten me into writing more seriously, and I’ve recently finished my first feature length screenplay.

Do you intend to work both in the Netherlands and in L.A. or are you going to focus on just one market?

I just want to work – preferably all over the world as I love travelling  So wherever I get an opportunity, I’ll jump on it. But depending on where I end up living that market will be my main focus of course. I’ve lived out of a suitcase on various couches and in different houses, rooms and countries for the last two years, so I have to say that I’m kind of looking forward to settling down somewhere, at least for a year – to putting my pictures up and giving my pink clutter a place to shine. Right now it looks like it might be in L.A., but if that doesn’t work out I’d love to come to London!

Lenka Silhanova

Lenka is an actor and blogger currently working in the Czech Republic and UK, who has also experienced the US market. She's sharing what she's learned and experienced with AYT readers. Lenka also has a personal blog called Acting Abroad and is helping potential drama school students on the IDSA blog.

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