Spanning three decades in the entertainment business, Merrily We Roll Along charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong friends — writer Mary and lyricist & playwright Charley. An inventive, cult-classic ahead of its time, Merrily We Roll Along features some of Stephen Sondheim’s most celebrated and personal songs. Directed by Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along features music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a book by George Furth, and is based on the original play by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart.
All told, it’s a hit, to borrow a title phrase from one of Sondheim most artful “concerted” numbers; a palpable hit, to borrow a phrase the Master borrowed from the Bard. Forget about the troubled history of Sondheim and Hal Prince’s most ignominious miscue; here and now, Merrily is a five-star hit, and no doubt about it. The show plays like wildfire, ignited from that first blast of overture from that band. It’s a win-win, or perhaps a win-win-win-win. A win for Merrily, yes; a win for Radcliffe, Mendez, and Goff; and a win mostly for Maria Friedman, who created this production with significant success back in 2012 and—in three or four steps along the way—has continued to add layers of sheen so that it no longer plays like an excellent production of a troubled musical but an excellent show all around. It’s a win for Furth, too, who is often overlooked for his script to Merrily (and Company as well) but whose contributions the composer always insistently cited.
But Act Two has some unmitigated joy too, particularly “It’s a Hit,” an ecstatic ditty the three leads sing with Joe when they realize the new show Shepard and Kringas have written, Musical Husbands, is scoring and their lives have been irrevocably changed (“No more writing clever little shows for those basement saloons,” sings Shepard. “No more proclamations from the pros that ‘You can’t hum the tunes’”). Well, more than four decades after it premiered to quizzical expressions, Merrily We Roll Along is a hit. Kudos to Friedman and company for going back in time to see what went wrong.
Digital Lottery
Price: $39
Where: on the TodayTix app.
When: Entries open each Sunday at 12:01 a.m. for the coming week's performances and will close at noon on the day before each performance.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Winners will be notified by push notification and emailed between 1-4 PM on the day before their selected show, and will have 30 minutes to claim their tickets in the app.
1981 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1985 | Regional (US) |
Regional Production Regional (US) |
1990 | Regional (US) |
Regional Production Regional (US) |
1992 | Regional (UK) |
Regional Production Regional (UK) |
1994 | Off-Broadway |
York Theatre Company Production Off-Broadway |
2000 | West End |
Donmar Warehouse Revival West End |
2002 | Regional (US) |
Sondheim Festival Production Regional (US) |
2012 | Off-Broadway |
Encores! Concert Off-Broadway |
2012 | West End |
Menier Chocolate Factory Production West End |
2013 | West End |
Menier Chocolate Factory Production West End |
2016 | Los Angeles |
Wallis Annenberg Center Production Los Angeles |
2019 | Off-Broadway |
Roundabout Theatre Company Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
2022 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Revival Production Off-Broadway |
2023 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Merrily We Roll Along |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance | Jonathan Groff |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance | Lindsay Mendez |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance | Daniel Radcliffe |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Maria Friedman |
2024 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Merrily We Roll Along |
2024 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Maria Friedman |
2024 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | Jonathan Tunick |
2024 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Daniel Radcliffe |
2024 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Jonathan Groff |
2024 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Lindsay Mendez |
2024 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Merrily We Roll Along |
2024 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Musical | Kai Harada |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical | Daniel Radcliffe |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Merrily We Roll Along |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Jonathan Tunick |
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