6. Merrily We Roll Along:  A friend of mine once said about Merrily We Roll Along (and I'm paraphrasing): "It can't be turned into a good musical, but it can be performed brilliantly," This is the case with the Huntington's production. The major hurdle this and any production must overcome is inherent in its structure (and the structure of the Kaufman & Hart play its adapted from): Audiences must watch and believe that these horrible, miserable, embittered adults we are introduced to in the first scene were once the young, nice, hopeful artists-in-the-making in the finale. When the Huntington Theatre Company announced it would be remounting Maria Friedman's West End revival of Merrily We Roll Along, I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. I had seen the London revival cast when it was transmitted to movie theaters and I wasn't a fan. I remember the cast of the filmed production exacerbating the problems of the musical - each of the performances overstated, abrasive, and unbelievable. Either something magical happened as this production transferred over the Atlantic or Lonny Price's terrific documentary Best Worst Thing That Could Ever Happen softened my attitudes toward the material. Perhaps most instrumental in Friedman's success is her decision to re-cast all the of the principal females with American actresses. Broadway veteran Eden Espinosa now takes on the role of Mary Flynn, the alcoholic author/critic and Boston locals Jennifer Ellis and Aimee Doherty play Beth and Gussie Carnegie, Frank's first and second wives, respectively. Even West End originals Damian Humbley and Mark Umbers as Charles and Frank have upped their games diving deeper into the text and finding subtle beats to create cohesive characterizations across time. Friedman smartly makes Frank our central (almost tragic) character. Perhaps more clearly than in the London production, we understand how he 'got to be here.' It wasn't one mistake that caused Frank's life to spiral out of control. It was many small mistakes, while sometimes misguided, always seemed right in the moment. And with Friedman making the narrative work for Frank, perhaps, she was able to make Merrily as good as it can get. While Merrily will never lose the challenges it faces with its backwards arc, there was no shortage of wonderful individual moments in the Huntington's production, most notably: the undeniable chemistry of its three central friends (most apparent in 'Old Friends'), Ellis' heart-wrenching rendition of 'Not a Day Goes By' (it's given to her character before you even really know her and yet Ellis still makes your heart ache for Beth), Doherty's deliciously vampy show-stopping finale to Musical Husbands, and the delightfully silly "Bobby and Jackie and Jack." Perhaps my favorite moment in this revival occurs in the second act when Frank and Charley showcase their soon-to-be hit song, "Good Thing Going", at Gussie's party. In this production, time metaphorically stops for Frank, Charley, and all those who are listening to these young writers on the rise. We are enchanted by their talent. We are hopeful for their futures (even though we know the outcomes). And when these writers are persuaded to perform their song one-more-time (against Charley's better judgement), our stomachs sink for them as they've outstayed their welcome and the tide has turned as the guests' attention has drifted. Surprising to me,  all these fully realized individual moments paid off - for the first time, 'Our Time', the show's finale, left me feeling wistful. I tip my hat to you, Maria Friedman and the Huntington.