Selected work · 2025
Merrily We Roll Along
G&S Society of South Australia
Musical Director · Orchestrations · Vocal arrangements
The production
Sondheim’s score moves backwards through time while its musical ideas gather new meaning. The work called for precision, transparency and an emotional trajectory that could be felt even as the story ran in reverse.
- Year
- 2025
- Company
- G&S Society of South Australia
- Role
- Musical Director · Orchestrations · Vocal arrangements
Musical Director's vision
The sound of
Merrily We Roll Along
I wanted the audience to hear memory changing shape. Musical ideas first encountered with the weight of disappointment gradually needed to recover their optimism, until the final scene could feel both hopeful and quietly devastating.
That meant treating rhythmic accuracy and vocal clarity as storytelling tools, not ends in themselves. The orchestrations and vocal arrangements were shaped around the company so the complexity stayed buoyant, human and emotionally legible.
Creative focus
- 01
Sondheim’s rhythmic detail delivered with clarity and ease
- 02
Orchestral and vocal arrangements tailored to the production
- 03
Recurring themes shaped to reveal the reverse chronology
- 04
A close connection between pit, ensemble and dramatic pacing
In review
What the
critics heard.
“Musical director Matthew Rumley deserves a standing ovation of his own.”
On Your Markus
“It is conducted expertly by Matthew Rumley and is tight and a joy to experience.”
Stage Whispers
“A highlight of the performance was the excellent orchestra, under Musical Director, Matthew Rumley.”
BroadwayWorld Adelaide