Photos by Tom Kochie

Verily, a Convincing Merrily

This past weekend, the Southampton Cultural Center presented what was originally billed as a concert version of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along," directed by Michael Disher, who ended up giving the audience a fully staged production complete with choreography. In the leading roles, Michael Morch as Franklin Shepard, Susan Vinski as Mary Flynn, and Brett Chizever as Charley Kringas (above left) delivered convincing, polished performances with strong vocals. In the NBC Studios interview scene (above center), Chizever's rendition of the tricky number, "Franklin Shepard, Inc.," was seamless, as the charming, engaging Bethany Dellapolla as K.T. tried to mitigate the palpable tension of the moment. Sarah Sander in the role of Beth (above) left the audience awestruck with her vocally and dramatically committed version of "Not a Day Goes By."

- Susan M. Galardi

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