Stephen Sondheim Advanced Musical-Theater Art Form

At the inspiring/dispiriting conclusion/beginning of Merrily We Roll Along, the flop/classic 1981 Stephen Sondheim musical, three friends stand on a rooftop in upper Manhattan with awe and hope in their eyes as they watch the Sputnik rocket pass overhead. They sing a lilting paean to youth called “Our Time”:

How rapturous to be young, clever, and talented in 1957. Doors will shortly begin to open. The future beckons with a warm smile. Except: This story is being told backwards, and so the hopeful beginning is actually a dismal ending. Since the show starts with the characters in grumbly middle age and retreats in time with each scene, we’ve observed how the three will achieve huge success, then become cynical and hardened and bitter and alcoholic. They rise with joy, then crash into their own errors. The song strokes your heart because it’s beautiful, but it rips out your guts at the same time. The audience is overcome by anguish for these three and their future of shattered friendships and abandoned principles, three people who stand for a lot of other people whose lives fell apart.

About the Author

Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith is the film critic for the Wall Street Journal.

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At the inspiring/dispiriting conclusion/beginning of Merrily We Roll Along, the flop/classic 1981 Stephen Sondheim musical, three friends stand on a rooftop in upper Manhattan with awe and hope in their eyes as they watch the Sputnik rocket pass overhead. They sing a lilting paean to youth called “Our Time”:

How rapturous to be young, clever, and talented in 1957. Doors will shortly begin to open. The future beckons with a warm smile. Except: This story is being told backwards, and so the hopeful beginning is actually a dismal ending. Since the show starts with the characters in grumbly middle age and retreats in time with each scene, we’ve observed how the three will achieve huge success, then become cynical and hardened and bitter and alcoholic. They rise with joy, then crash into their own errors. The song strokes your heart because it’s beautiful, but it rips out your guts at the same time. The audience is overcome by anguish for these three and their future of shattered friendships and abandoned principles, three people who stand for a lot of other people whose lives fell apart.