Abigail Pogrebin was one of the young adults who performed in the first production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along.” It was a famous flop, closing after only 16 performances. But the cast album was one of my most treasured recordings, it evokes powerful feelings among Sondheim aficionados, and it’s one of his most beloved scores – though the show itself never seemed to click.

The original cast reunited for a concert performance, and Abigail wrote a book about both experiences: as a young adult with the world wide-open to her and full of possibilities and as an older adult still unpacking that youthful gut-punching experience.

I highly recommend the documentary on that reunion performance, The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened, directed by one of the performers.

This is a quote from Abigail’s memoir on the experience. 📚