← COSTUME DESIGN
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
February 2024 at Keegan Theater. Directed by Christina Coakley & Jennifer Hopkins. Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by George Furth.
Featuring Ryan Burke, Harrison Smith, Sarah Chapin, Sumié Yotsukura, Brigid Wallace Harper, Duane Richards II, Aisley Wallace Harper, Jules Kanarek, Thea Simpson, Santina Maiolatesi, Allison Fitzgerald, Taylor Witt, Irene Hamilton, Ricky Drummond, Trenton Beavers, Chris Gillespie, Emily Levey, Carianmax Benitez, Drew Sharpe, Vivienne Innocenti
The authors of the landmark musical COMPANY reunite to turn the traditional showbiz musical on its head in this thrilling and compelling Broadway fable about friendship, compromise, and the high price of success. Stephen Sondheim and George Furth expertly blend the excitement and energy of a backstage musical with a poignant and emotional contemporary story about the importance of staying true to one’s ideals.
"Elizabeth Morton's costumes survey the 70s-50s with an accurate eye. Standouts include the terrible multi-colored dress shirts that men began to wear in the 1970s, the sleek, A-line mini-dresses that women wore in the 1960s, and the berets that were "in" in the Village in the 50s and 60s."
—Broadway World
"Designer Elizabeth Morton effectively fits the show’s costumes to the variety of styles prevalent in the 20 years covered by the story, as well as to the nature of the characters. Beth’s dresses are rather wholesome girl-next-door in tone, for example, while Gussie’s tend to a more studied glamorous and slinky look. Charley wears mostly nerdy sweaters and sportcoats, while Frank, until the final scene, wears white shirts and ties with suspenders, neither seemingly changing much with the times. The ensemble costumes for the 1960s “Blob” sequence are a riot of colors."
—DC Theatre Arts
The TV interview with Frank and Charley that culminates in the number "Franklin Shepard, Inc," taking place in 1973.
Charley, Mary, and Frank perform "Old Friends" in Frank's new apartment, taking place in 1968.
The gang celebrates Charley and Frank's first broadway opening with "It's a Hit" in 1964.
Characters from throughout Frank's life introduce his story with the opening number "Merrily We Roll Along," dressed for the first scene that takes place in 1976.
Gussie and Joe dodge reporters outside the courthouse in 1967.
Gussie's cosmopolitan party guests showcase the mod styles of 1962 New York in the "The Blob."
Mary's defeated solo during "That Frank," against the backrop of a party to celebrate Frank's latest cash-grab movie in 1976.
Charley and Frank pitch a song, "Good Thing Going," from their unproduced musical at Gussie and Joe's party in 1962.
Charley, Mary, and Frank celebrate the possibilities of being a young creative in New York in 1959 with "Opening Doors."
Photos by Cameron Whitman Photography | Set by Matthew Keenan | Lighting by Dominic Desalvio | Sound Design by Gordon Nimmo Smith | Projection Design by Jeremy Bennett | Set Dressing and Props by Cindy Landrum Jacobs | Wig Designer Tiesha Cooper | Music Direction by Nathan Beary Blustein | Stage Manager Gabrielle Busch | Wardrobe Emilie Knudsen