NOW IN THEATERS! Direct from Broadway comes the 2023 production of Merrily We Roll Along, directed by Maria Friedman, written by George Furth, and featuring music by the legendary Stephen Sondheim. It’s a modern American musical that was produced in 1981 and considered a massive flop at the time. With numerous revivals, could this production be considered the definitive version? Let’s see.
Spanning three decades, Merrily We Roll Along follows the meteoric rise of composer Franklin Shepard (Jonathan Groff). The caveat here is that the story is told in reverse. The film’s opening number documents the final breakup between Franklin and his once-tight creative partnership with lyricist and playwright Charley Kringas (Daniel Radcliffe). His deep friendship with writer Mary Flynn (Lindsay Mendez) has also fractured. This scene shows the breakup with Mary, and then we go back a few years to see his fallout with Charlie after a disastrous television appearance where Charlie publicly unloads on Frank.
The story moves backward as Frank ends his affair with Gussie (Krystal Joy Brown) while fighting to save his marriage to Beth (Katie Rose Clarke). We see what the lust for success does to a man, along with the decisions and missed opportunities to say “No” that shape the idealistic young artist at the end of the play, who wants to change the world through art. When you think of the events in order, it’s the story of the breakdown of a friendship; in reverse, it’s the story of the connection we make with friends and how they can build us up. The overriding themes of the songs also speak to following dreams and how they can be derailed when we lose sight of them.
I’ll start by saying that Merrily We Roll Along is not a movie, but like Hamilton, it’s a film of the actual 2023 stage production as seen on Broadway. It’s shot on stage, and we never leave. Director Friedman filmed several live performances and then brought the cameras onstage without the audience. She absolutely captures every emotional beat and theme of the stage play, giving us front-row seats to each actor’s emotions.
“The film’s opening number documents the final breakup between Franklin and his once-tight creative partnership…”
I will admit I’m a pretty big Sondheim fan. He’s the master of music and lyrics. He doesn’t write music to fit dialogue. Every song has a deeper meaning and plays with your mind like a puzzle. The play has three iconic songs that every fan knows. “Not a Day Goes By” is written in such a way that it’s Frank and Beth’s wedding song as well as Beth’s final song when she walks away from Frank…at the beginning of the play.
“Good Thing Going” is the hit song written by Frank and Charlie—great as a standalone song—yet in a play that moves backward, we see it morphed into an unrecognizable Broadway showstopper, to the moment it drops jaws at an industry party, to the insane lyrics when the duo first discovers the song. “Our Time” is a beautiful anthem about dreams and changing the world that ends the play, but is bastardized into the exact opposite at the beginning.
Ultimately, what I love about Merrily We Roll Along is that it’s a story of people like you and me. Youthful dreams that become cynical middle-aged adults are worn down when we take our eyes off the dream. As a musical, the ending gets really emotional—a testament to a gimmick that works.
The standout performance is Jonathan Groff as Frank. He’s deeply familiar with the role and hits the right emotions in a complex character arc running in reverse. Lindsay Mendez is also brilliant as Mary. In previous editions, I never realized that Mary had feelings for Frank, and she really leans into this unrequited love, which hits home. Daniel Radcliffe is fine.
Final Verdict: If you don’t like musical theater, you’re not going to like Merrily We Roll Along. If you’re a musical theater fan, Merrily is a must-see, as it’s tough to catch lesser-known Sondheim musicals that typically play only on Broadway or in London. Yes, in my humble opinion, this is the definitive version of the musical. It features some of Sondheim’s best and is a testament to his musical genius.
"…Youthful dreams that become cynical middle-aged adults…"
