Forty Years Ago, Tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     Back then, at the Alvin Theatre, as the Overture was blaring, young folk dashed madly onto the stage in graduation gowns, to get in their places, before the curtain rose on "Merrily We Roll Along."

                                                        For me, this one was personal.  I was very much the same age as many of  the cast members, and while the trajectory of  the show has not exactly matched my life, my reactions have changed with time.  Having seen several productions over four decades, I was lucky to have seen the original production twice--on Halloween, 1981, and the Saturday evening, after the premiere!

                                                        The score captivated me instantly.  But the last fifteen minutes of the show, THEN, just made me feel connected; seeing a production of this recently, those minutes, which include the anthem "Our Time," now break my heart.

                                                           "Merrily' is a show I have aged with. Happy Anniversary to Original Cast Members All!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  May it live on another forty years!

                                                              But let the show speak for itself.  Grab the OBC CD and start from "Bobby And Jackie And Jack," continuing to the end.  If young, you will connect, if my age, your heart will be torn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                               Happy Birthday and Love To All,  'Merrily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'