Broadway says goodbye to a starry, high-grossing, and Tony-winning revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Merrily We Roll Along June 7, as the production plays its final performance at the Hudson Theatre. As of the final performance, the Maria Friedman-helmed production will have played 312 regular performances and 20 previews.
And thus ends one of the most stunning Broadway comeback stories in theatre history. Merrily's 1981 original production infamously ran for just 16 performances. It also served as the end of the trailblazing collaboration between Sondheim and producer-director Hal Prince, who had redefined the genre of musical theatre with a string of landmark musicals in the '70s.
Sondheim and Furth continued to tinker with Merrily after its Broadway failure, settling on a revised version in the '90s. That script and score was used for this revival decades later, and is the musical's first real successful production. Along with being a mainstay among the highest-grossing shows on the Main Stem, the production won four 2024 Tony Awards, including Best Orchestrations for Jonathan Tunick, Featured Actor in a Musical for Daniel Radcliffe, Leading Actor in a Musical for Jonathan Groff, and Revival of a Musical.
Director Friedman, who counted Sondheim a close friend and godparent to one of her sons after acting in several of his musicals in the U.K., marked the moment onstage at the Koch Theater while accepting the production's Best Revival Tony Award with the rest of the cast and creative team. "There was a line that flew out on opening night to me from the show, which is, 'Musicals are popular. They're a great way of stating important ideas—ideas that can really change the world. Make a difference.' And then Frank turns to Charley and says, 'Charley, we can change the world,'" Friedman said. "Well, Steve and George, Merrily is popular."
Watch: An Oral History of Merrily We Roll Along's Journey From Flop to Tony-Nominated Hit
Several performances were professionally filmed in June, but details of a commercial release have not yet been revealed.
This revival opened October 10, 2023, at the Hudson Theatre. Directed by Olivier winner Friedman, the work features music and lyrics by Sondheim and a book by Furth. Friedman's production came to Broadway after a 2013 London run, first at Menier Chocolate Factory and later at the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End. That production won two 2014 Olivier Awards, including Best Musical Revival, and came to Boston's Huntington Theatre Company in 2017.
The current Broadway cast features Radcliffe as Charley Kringas, Groff as Franklin Shepard, and Lindsay Mendez as Mary Flynn. The trio are all reprising their performances from the production's sold-out 2022 Off-Broadway run at New York Theatre Workshop, along with Krystal Joy Brown as Gussie Carnegie, Katie Rose Clarke as Beth Shepard, and Reg Rogers as Joe Josephson. Brady Wagner, Rocco Van Auken, and Max Rackenberg share the role of Frank Jr.
The company also includes Sherz Aletaha, Leana Rae Concepcion, Coby Getzug, Corey Mach, Talia Simone Robinson, Jamila Sabares-Klemm, Brian Sears, Brianna Stoute, Christian Strange, Vishal Vaidya, Natalie Wachen, and Jacob Keith Watson. Rounding out the company as swings are Morgan Kirner, David Scott Purdy, Amanda Rose, and Koray Tarhan. Casting is by Jim Carnahan and Jason Thinger.
Based on the George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart play of the same name, Merrily We Roll Along tracks the lives of three friends navigating the entertainment industry over three decades in reverse chronological order. Sondheim's score includes such songs as "Old Friends," "Now You Know," "Franklin Shepard, Inc.," "Good Thing Going," and "Not a Day Goes By." A revival cast recording was released January 12.
READ: Hey, Old Friend: Lindsay Mendez Returns to Broadway With Merrily We Roll Along
The production features choreography by Tim Jackson and orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick. Scenic and costume design are by Soutra Gilmour, with lighting design by Amith Chandrashaker, sound design by Kai Harada, hair and wig design by Cookie Jordan, music supervision by Catherine Jayes, music direction by Joel Fram, associate music supervision by Alvin Hough, Jr., and music coordination by Kristy Norter.
Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani, Patrick Catullo, and Jeff Romley led the revival's producing team.
Krystal Joy Brown, Reg Rogers, Natalie Wachen, and company of Merrily We Roll Along
Katie Rose Clarke and Jonathan Groff in Merrily We Roll Along
Lindsay Mendez, Jonathan Groff, and Daniel Radcliffe in Merrily We Roll Along
Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, Reg Rogers, and Krystal Joy Brown in Merrily We Roll Along
Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez in Merrily We Roll Along
Krystal Joy Brown and Jonathan Groff in Merrily We Roll Along
Company of Merrily We Roll Along
Reg Rogers, Katie Rose Clarke, Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez in Merrily We Roll Along
Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Natalie Wachen in Merrily We Roll Along
Lindsay Mendez, Jonathan Groff, and Daniel Radcliffe in Merrily We Roll Along
