Radcliffe, Groff, and Mendez star in MERRILY - Reviews & News Thread

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:16am

NYTimes

The actor Daniel Radcliffe will star in an Off Broadway revival of “Merrily We Roll Along,” a Stephen Sondheim musical that famously flopped on Broadway but in the decades since has become an oft-produced and beloved show.

The new production, directed by Maria Friedman, is sure to be a tough ticket to get, given Radcliffe’s celebrity and the size of the venue: It is to be staged late this year by the nonprofit New York Theater Workshop at its 199-seat main stage in the East Village.

New York Theater Workshop, best known as the birthplace of “Rent,” said Monday that its production of “Merrily” would run in “late 2022”; it did not announce dates. Radcliffe will play Charley Kringas, a lyricist and playwright; the theater did not announce other cast members.

Updated On: 12/11/22 at 11:16 AM

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:18am

He seems a good fit.  I wonder which one of the umpteen versions of this they're going to do.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:25am

NYTW? Why? This actually kind of pisses me off. The run will sell out in 3 seconds and be one of those stressful as hell situations where you desperately try to get a cancellation ticket for weeks on end. But I guess they wanted to create an “event” which they’ll definitely have here.

[James2]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:28am

For the sake of my traveling, I hope it runs concurrently with CSC's Man of No Importance.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:31am

HOLYYYYY F*CKING SH*T I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS ON SO MANY LEVELS

We're finally getting the Friedman production to NYC after all these years.

AND I'm a huge fan of Daniel Radcliffe - I've seen 6 of his 7 stage roles to date (only missed Equus, which was before my time in NY). 

PLUS - I've been saying that Daniel Radcliffe has started to become a classic "jack of all trades, master of none." He keeps tackling new challenges, and working his ass off to exceed expectations - but I've been saying he should go back and try to continue honing his skills on something he's already done - like another musical! And here we are!!! 

Oh man oh man oh man, I'm ready! 
 

EDIT: But yes, I agree with Jordan. This is going to be a source of stress for me from now until I inevitably end up paying full price for a cancellation ticket. 

Updated On: 3/7/22 at 11:31 AM

[The8re phan]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:37am

this just confirms that NYTW is simply a launching pad for this production, and it's inevitable plan to move to a larger house

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:37am

This is coming to Broadway next season. Guaranteed. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:38am

Jordan Catalano said: "NYTW? Why? This actually kind of pisses me off. The run will sell out in 3 seconds and be one of those stressful as hell situations where you desperately try to get a cancellation ticket for weeks on end. But I guess they wanted to create an “event” which they’ll definitely have here."

My hope/assumption is that this is intended as a pre-Broadway run IF Radcliffe wants to do it on Bway and if it's well received.

Assuming Andrew Garfield is out, it probably couldn't work economically on Bway with two salaries at that level. How about Santino Fontana as Frank?

[ren598]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:44am

Is it worth getting a membership to NYTW 2022/2023 season to guarantee seats to this show?  Thinking about it.  Just to avoid all the stress and anxiety of trying to get tickets to this show that everyone knows will sell out.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:46am

Troynow says Hudson Theatre, spring 2023.

Updated On: 3/7/22 at 11:46 AM

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:50am

The NYTW season looks pretty promising so I might just get season tickets. But yeah do we assume that Andrew Garfield is out since he wasn't announced too or could that still be happening?

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:50am

The NYTW season looks pretty promising so I might just get season tickets. But yeah do we assume that Andrew Garfield is out since he wasn't announced too or could that still be happening?

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:51am

ren598 said: "Is it worth getting a membership to NYTW 2022/2023 season to guarantee seats to this show? Thinking about it. Just to avoid all the stress and anxiety of trying to get tickets to this show that everyone knows will sell out."

Probably, but the cheapest membership they're offering right now is $350 for a 7-show package that includes the remainder of this season plus next season.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 11:51am

As I noted in another thread, Garfield has recently been on TV saying live theater isn’t something he’s particularly looking/ready to do right now. 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 12:38pm

With Radcliffe in the lead it definitely seems like the goal would be to move this to Broadway. I assume the history of the show itself is the reason they're testing the waters with an Off-Broadway run first.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 12:41pm

I knew something big was up when I started to be bombarded on all platforms from every theater gay I know.  My people.  They be excited.

[SidebySidebyLogan]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 12:46pm

Mike Faist or Jeremy Pope for Frank!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 1:02pm

Jordan Catalano said: "As I noted in another thread, Garfield has recently been on TV saying live theater isn’t something he’s particularly looking/ready to do right now."

I think we have to assume Garfield is not doing it. Otherwise they would have announced him with Radcliffe; it would look funny to announce arguably the bigger name and bigger role in a later press release.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 1:05pm

How interesting he's in it as Charlie.

I'm sure he'll be very good! 

If this really does go to Broadway wow- what a redemption for what essentially crashed Hal Prince and Sondheim's collaborations. 

The Friedman production was the best I think this show can be. I'm still not 100 percent drawn in by the show. There's something still very arm's length about it besides the score being tremendous.

If this goes to Broadway it does have the vibe of a limited run. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 1:22pm

It would be really interesting to see how well this sells on Broadway. Radcliffe still has some box office draw (Lifespan of a Fact recouped, notably), but not like he used to. And who knows how commercial audiences will respond to Merrily in today's day and age. It's a musical with a celebrity in it, which is usually a good sign, but will that be enough to overcome the general sense of "huh?" among general audiences regarding this specific show. It's not exactly a touristy spectacle. Certainly the Sondheim fans will flock to see it, but will that be sustained in a commercial run, even after a run Off-Broadway? And for a show that's not as sellable as, say, Company? 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 2:20pm

What makes her version so good? 

And are we sure this is going to be such a hot ticket? Maybe if they stack the rest of the cast with notable Broadway vets, which I'm sure they will. 

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 2:31pm

RippedMan said: "What makes her version so good?

And are we sure this is going to be such a hot ticket? Maybe if they stack the rest of the cast with notable Broadway vets, which I'm sure they will."

Def. a hot ticket if it transfers, at least for the first few months.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 2:32pm

This will undoubtedly be a huge sellout at NYTW, but I’m dubious at best about its transfer prospects. Radcliffe has not proven to be as much of a box office draw as you’d think, mostly because his choice of shows haven’t entirely lined up with what his main fanbase would expect of him. Merrily is not a commercially viable show unless they went with multiple A-list names.

Frankly (no pun intended), I just don’t see the need for this. Maria Friedman’s production may be the closest to “getting it right,” but it’s still pretty dramatically inert as a show, no matter how good Sondheim’s score is. We just had a revival of it a couple seasons ago. Give it a rest. For that matter, give Sondheim a rest for a bit. Give us a bit to miss him and mourn him without the barrage of revivals.

Maybe I’m just being a Debbie Downer, but I’m more excited about Pam Anderson in Chicago than I am about this news. And that’s not to short Pam, who I’m genuinely thrilled for, but the fact that I’m excited about Chicago casting and not a major revival of a Sondheim work with a big, splashy star name.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 2:42pm

RippedMan said: "What makes her version so good?"

It's been 9 years since I watched the video of Friedman's production, so I don't really remember what book changes there were. But my memory is that the production felt really grounded and mature.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/7/22 at 3:06pm

So it's more so the book that makes it a unique production and not the design/direction?