Synopsis
Richard Niles is a pretentious 40 year old playwright who writes successful but forgettable frothy comedies. Niles is hosting a party for his wealthy friends at his Long Island home on the opening night of his newest play. His life is empty, petty and loveless. The story moves backwards in nine scenes from 1934 to 1916, as Niles achieves success by, bit-by-bit, compromising his integrity and principles. He drives his friend, the novelist Julia Glenn (patterned after Dorothy Parker), to drink; loses his best friend, painter Jonathan Crale; and betrays his wife, the glamorous actress Althea Royce, simply to gain material comforts and satisfy his ambitions. In the final scene, Niles, on graduation day at his college, idealistically quotes the words of Polonius: "This above all, to thine own self be true."
Read more about this topic: Merrily We Roll Along (play)