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.
This Merrily is in an ironic position: It’s too big of a hit. Tickets for the limited Off Broadway run sold out more or less instantly, which means that we can only now hope for a Broadway transfer. This is a show that makes demands of its audience, perhaps sometimes unreasonable ones. But as Charley sings during a loving argument with his friends: “What’s the point of demands you can meet?” Friedman’s production meets the audience halfway, and a Broadway audience today just might be able to make up the difference as couldn’t in 1981. Cross your fingers: It finally might be Merrily’s time.
Friedman’s straightforward and finely polished version, however ramshackle certain aspects of the show remain, gives Merrily new emotional depth, especially in its rendering of Frank. You feel powerfully his ache to get back to the past, which is quite an accomplishment—the guy does have some sweet digs in Bel Air.
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 |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Maria Friedman |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | Jonathan Groff |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | Lindsay Mendez |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Maria Friedman |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical | Lindsay Mendez |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical | Daniel Radcliffe |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical | Jonathan Groff |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Merrily We Roll Along |
2023 | The Lortels | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical | Krystal Joy Brown |
2023 | The Lortels | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical | Reg Rogers |
2023 | The Lortels | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical | Lindsay Mendez |
2023 | The Lortels | Outstanding Revival | Merrily We Roll Along |
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