MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG Reviews

Deadline: ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Broadway Review: Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff & Lindsay Mendez Polish A Flawed Gem

https://deadline.com/2023/10/merrily-we-roll-along-broadway-review-1235567197/

Theatrely: MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, A Spectacular Broadway Feast — Review

https://www.theatrely.com/post/merrily-we-roll-along-a-spectacular-broadway-feast-review

A rave by Michael Musto in the Village Voice:

Says that, like the show itself, Friedman and company have gone back in time to see what went wrong.

https://www.villagevoice.com/review-merrily-we-roll-along-finally-has-its-moment-in-time/

The Wrap

‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Broadway Review: Daniel Radcliffe and Jonathan Groff Lead a Riveting Revival

The troubled Stephen Sondheim musical finally finds its perfect cast

https://www.thewrap.com/merrily-we-roll-along-broadway-review-daniel-radcliffe-jonathan-groff-lindsay-mendez/

Chicago Tribune:

Review: ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ on Broadway has a cast that’s wonderful to watch

https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/broadway/ct-ent-merrily-we-roll-along-broadway-review-radcliffe-20231010-plf5izps4zc25gpzvf6mcsuqoa-story.html

"Broadway never saw a better triple-act than Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe, the triumphant triumvirate at the heart of the gorgeous new revival of “Merrily We Roll Along” directed by the famed British musical theater star Maria Friedman. What a delight they are to watch as life kicks their ever-hopeful characters in the teeth."

Washington Post:

Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez breathe new life into Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1981 musical

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2023/10/10/merrily-sondheim-radcliffe-groff-broadway/

"Director Maria Friedman, in league with stars Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe, burrow down to the musical’s theatrical core and discover not a shallow pool of glibness but a deep wellspring of emotionality. Friedman’s poignant Broadway revival, officially opening Tuesday night at the Hudson Theatre, is a marvelous marriage of Sondheim’s stupendously satisfying music and lyrics with Friedman’s seminal insights."

Guess we may not see that $500 top ticket price (or the overall pricing structure) coming down much after these very well-deserved rave reviews.

Updated On: 10/10/23 at 09:02 AM

Here's my review. It's long, but I hope you all enjoy it!

Review: “Hey, Old Friend!” Merrily We Roll Along is Back and Better Than Ever!

Maria Friedman has brought Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 flop home to Broadway, and is a Theatrical Triumph!

★★★★★

You know how there are some friendships that last forever and some that fade away and become forgotten? Well, Merrily We Roll reminds us of that.

The show, which opened at the Hudson Theatre today, revolves around one man’s poor, selfish choices in life and how he drives his two lifelong friends away. However, you would think that’s how the story ends, right? Not quite. Merrily is a show that tells its story in reverse. It’s almost like what decisions could be made to help fix a relationship so it doesn’t become history.

This production is directed by British actress Maria Friedman. With this new interpretation, Friedman does something the original production failed to do. That is to not focus entirely on Franklin. Here, Friedman equally focuses on Franklin (Jonathan Groff), Charley (Daniel Radcliffe), and Mary (Lindsay Mendez). Because of that, we can really see the true chemistry between these actors. Along with Friedman’s magnificent staging, it would not be complete without fascinating choreography by Tim Jackson. The movement Jackson brings to the stage, especially to the ensemble, really helps with the storytelling, particularly with the transitions between time periods.

While Friedman took the approach to shine the spotlight on the three leads equally, each performance stood out in its own way. Radcliffe delivered what some would say is the ultimate humiliation to another human being in “Franklin Shepard Inc.” I, for one, would not wanna be on the other end of a roasting moment, particularly this one! If there’s someone with an incredible voice, of course, I’m talking about Lindsey Mendez’s performance as Mary and her beautiful rendition of “Like It Was.” Lastly, Central PA native Jonathan Groff brought what I would call a masterful performance as Franklin! The whole reason why we are here is because of his actions, which led to some severe consequences.

When it comes to the story, most go forward, but George Furth’s book goes in reverse. To be honest, it works! If we go forward, the story doesn’t have a happy ending. If we go backward, we can see how great things were in the past, but maybe that’s how the story should end. Starting at the beginning.

Even though this musical’s original production was a flop, the songs by the late Stephen Sondheim have remained iconic over the years and have been given a new life in this revival!

While the set by Soutra Gilmour basically pictures a suburban California home, little elements here and there can help describe where we are at the present moment but not have to change the entire scenery from top to bottom. For example, the windows that are meant to resemble a stunning view are quickly changed into studio windows and a green wall that appears for “Franklin Sheppard Inc.” They can help resemble the time period for costumes, also by Gilmour, but Groff, Mendez, and Radcliffe hardly change costumes. I personally feel it helps them stand out among the rest of the ensemble and supporting characters. Frankly, I would do anything to have the pajamas Radcliffe was wearing in the final scene of Act II. For lighting, the one thing that will stay with me forever is Amith Chandrashaker’s design in the final moments of Act II, where the three are gazing in amazement as they watch Sputnik go by, and then leads to Groff standing all alone on stage just like the beginning but the stars just explode into the audience. Truly an effect I won’t ever forget (Our Time).

We all have our friends in life, but if you get a chance to see this remarkable production, just remember that as long as you make the right decisions in life and be there for the people who care about you, you can truly have friendships that will last a lifetime, if they fade, just know that they will never truly leave you!

Updated On: 10/10/23 at 09:08 AM

Truly warms the heart to read MERRILY reviews this strong…and quite the rave for Groff by Jesse Green.

It could be Groff vs Redmayne come Tony time.

barcelona20 said: "Any chance this gets filmed?"

Anything is possible -- though I wouldn't bet on any show being filmed :)

A streaming service might actually see money potential in this because of Radcliffe & Groff (separate from the filmed London production).

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Truly warms the heart to read MERRILY reviews this strong…and quite the rave for Groff by Jesse Green.

It could be Groff vs Redmayne come Tony time."

Eddie might get nominated for just being him which would be wrong, but I HATED Cabaret. The director blew it. The MC is constantly angry which contradicts his opening monologue of "In here, everything is beautiful". Sally is constantly hysterical so she has nowhere to go when she has her breakdown, and Cliff has all the enthusiasm of watching paint dry until he yells at Sally near the end. I've spoken to at least three other people who saw the same production with different casts and said the same thing, so these are directorial decisions. I'll reserve judgement on Merrily when I see it tomorrow.

Jumpin_J said: "barcelona20 said: "Any chance this gets filmed?"
There's a film version already in production with Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein so it's unlikely this one will.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrily_We_Roll_Along_(film)"

I don't know how the rights would work for this, but my assumption is the rightsholders would not have prevented a stage production from being filmed/release, since the Linklater film is such a long undertaking where 1,000 things could go wrong. It's more of a thought experiment than a traditional film, at this point. It is being financed independently and doesn't have a distributor. The company that distributes it in fifteen years might not even exist yet!