Merrily We Roll Along Reunion Concert - September 30, 2002

I went to the Merrily We Roll Along reunion concert at LaGuardia High School last night (the school was the model for Fame's HS for the Performing Arts). I called yesterday morning on a lark (the "cheap" seats had been sold out for months and only $300 - $1,000 seats were left), and a sweet guy on the phone managed to squeeze me in for $50.

The concert was terrific. There were numerous parts that sounded EXACTLY like the OBC recording. They had all but 3 of the original cast there (out of 27). Jason Alexander (from Seinfeld) hosted the evening. Ann Morrison (Mary) was perfect. She recreated her part to vocal perfection.

There were a number of big deals in the audience including original director Hal Prince. I was standing about 10 feet away from Sondheim at one point (I was too awed/scared to approach him and actually welled up). I met Randy Graff, Patti Lupone (who I overheard telling Graff that she had to "go pee"), Jason Alexander, Liz Callaway (a personal favorite), Raul Esparza and Emily Skinner (Sideshow, The Dead, and The Full Monty).

There was just this great excitement and buzz after the show. The concert was in a high school auditorium (which is also where the action on stage begins and ends) and afterward there was the same kind of youthful chatter and emotion that I recall in the lobby of my own high school auditorium after a school play. Except this time everyone was 35 - 50 instead of a teenager.