Radcliffe, Groff, and Mendez star in MERRILY - Reviews & News Thread — Page 2

I pulled the trigger and got a subscription because my anxiety over being able to get a ticket for this won out. I’m also very curious/excited about the new Rachel Chavkin work coming to NYTW next season. So it’s not a waste…I’ve just never had a subscription before so I’m not quite sure how it works hahahhaa

I really liked Friedman's London production from a few years back, but while I was watching it I also caught myself thinking "The maximum potential for this material has been reached." People have said it so often that it's a cliche at this point, but Sondheim's score is just so far ahead of the show's book. Everything in this revival (and if you haven't seen the pro-shot of it, I really do recommend it) felt like it was working at 110% to try and overcome the obstacles and "fix" the show, and it still can't quite pull it off. It's like a car with an engine that's just not strong enough to make it up the hill. But, like Shakespeare's so-called Problem Plays, it seems that we're destined to see every musical theatre director for at least the next five centuries try to pull it off and prove to us the show just really needed X to work as intended.

Having said all that, I'm super excited to see Radcliffe attempt some Sondheim. I really do think he's a talented actor and I think his Franklin Shepard Inc. will be worth the price of admission alone for me. I also have to agree that their Broadway transfer chances will be stronger if they can bag another name as Frank or Mary.

Updated On: 3/7/22 at 03:28 PM

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint opening up in MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG at the Richard Rodgers theatre on Broadway in 2023.

Updated On: 3/7/22 at 03:33 PM

Play Esq. said: "Sanctuary City" Sanctuary City already played this past fall.



Aww damn it! Thought it was coming back next fall.

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."

Honestly, what she brought to the piece was intimacy and sadness and the ability to care for these people whose lives just get worse and worse.

I mean at the center of why this show doesn't keep me is it's really sort of hopeless in ways but her direction made me empathize with the people more.

I think the science of the time gimmick works better in Last Five Years because when an audience sees things getting worse at the same time as time reversing knowing things WILL get worse, tonally it's less of a downer cause it's more intricate tonally.

Merrily is- you as an audience member know we're heading toward a sad ending we've already seen, and each new pin spot in time reminds you of that and drives that knife deeper which is why the gimmick is more depressing.

binau said: "Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint opening up in MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG at the Richard Rodgers theatre on Broadway in 2023."

This would never happen but imagine if it did, the ticket sales I reckon would break every record in the history book.

Easily the best production of the show I've seen.

Absolutely love this news and this casting. Friedman’s production is the one the material truly deserves. So happy more people get to experience this.

I can’t wait to see this.

kdogg36 said: "ColorTheHours048 said: "Give it a rest. For that matter, give Sondheim a rest for a bit.."

I agree with some of what you say, but I think that to suggest giving Sondheim a rest (in the NYC theater world) is like suggesting that the Met give Mozart or Verdi or Wagner a rest."

If we got multiple productions of the same Mozart, Verdi, or Wagner pieces within a couple years of each other, I would probably advise the Met to take a look at their season planning too.

I’m not saying “stop performing Sondheim,” but I do think we’re a bit oversaturated at the moment. And with the same shows over and over. I’m not a fan of incessant Shakespeare either, no matter how brilliant the material, but at least Shakespeare has a deep canon to pull from. Sondheim has fewer shows to produce, and therefore, we see a lot of the same few shows repeatedly.

Updated On: 3/8/22 at 07:11 AM

I am actually unsure why this production works. I am an agnostic when it comes to this version of Merrily (by that I mean any subsequent version post the final original Broadway post-preview version, the original published version). Meaning, I didn't think it could ever work. I miss "Hills of Tomorrow". I don't like "That Frank" (mainly because I love "Rich and Happy" and hate that "Like It Was" and "Franklin Shepherd Inc" are in the same scene, making the resulting actions and ramifications seem rushed. However, I saw this Maria Friedman version at the Menier in London. I had also seen the up-until-the-recent-Roundabout-revival last production of said original version in London (2001 Donmar) as well. Which I had adored. But I can say I liked the Menier edition almost as much!! The cast was perfection (Jenna Russell!!!) and everything I thought didn't work in this version, DID! It doesn't carry as well on the You Tube video but I assure you, on stage it's wonderful. But again, I don't really know why...