The Award-winning Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC), is pleased to announce that their 14th season spring musical will be Merrily We Roll Along, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth, based on the original play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, and directed by APAC’s Artistic Director Dev Bondarin.
The musical begins on Thursday, April 30, 2015 and continues through Saturday, May 23, 2015. APAC’s performance venue is located at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 30-44 Crescent St (@ 30th Rd), in Astoria, Queens.
“I am thrilled to bring the work of Stephen Sondheim to APAC for the first time with Merrily We Roll Along. In college, I worked backstage on a production of Merrily which was one of my most formative theater experiences, and the beginning of some lifelong friendships,” reflects Bondarin. “Returning to this show as my first musical as Artistic Director at APAC is fitting. The show, which spans twenty years and examines the longevity of friendships and hope for the future, feels like coming home to an ‘old friend.’ Following last season’s award-winning production of Allegro with this production, is well-timed as the two share themes and storytelling devices. Their connection will be interesting for both returning audience members and new APAC attendees.”
What if you could move backwards through time and see how your choices charted your path to the present moment? With an exciting score, humor, idealism, and insight, Merrily We Roll Along starts at the end and ends at the beginning. We see snapshots of twenty years in the lives of Franklin Shepard and his close friends and ponder the show’s central question: “How did you get to be here?”
“Glorious…Heartbreaking…The charms of the music are still abundantly evident…The cheers began with the first bars of the show’s overture, the most infectious and conventionally stirring that Mr. Sondheim wrote.” – New York Times
“The songs, and the mood and verve and expertise…in all these aspects, Merrily sings.” – Time
“The songs are rich in melody…the lyrics are deftly sophisticated and witty, and there is brilliant use of musical themes.” – Talkin’ Broadway
Tickets are $18, ($12 student/senior) available at www.apacny.org or 888-596-1027. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the box office, 30 minutes prior to the performance.