Musical Rolls Along Merrily at Agassiz.

We go way back, but seldom forward." commented one of the leads at the beginning of Merrily We Roll Along, Stephen Sondheim's backwards musical about a man (Frank) who has it all and hates himself. The first scene occurs in 1979, the last in 1957. In between, audiences at the Agassiz Theater this January were treated to consistently great acting, some good singing hysterically funny, dated costumes.

Under Keith Kessler's skillful direction, the production managed to rise above its pointless set and regrettably synthesized orchestra. As Frank's two wives, Jennifer Giering and Cori Lynn Peterson, were respectively endearing and evil. Although Beth Turner as Frank's best friend, did not sing as well as the other two, she provided some of the best acting of the evening. And Tim Krochak (Frank) performed equally as well as a 40-year old cynic and a naive college kid.

Although their endless repetitions of the title song grew irritating, the ensemble provided a nice consistency as the decades flew by, prominent actors managing to fade back into a group identity. Nell Benjamin and Tom Chick should also be commended for their scene-stealing cameos as a pair of mindless TV anchors.

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