Susan Granger’s review of “Merrily We Roll Along: (New York Theatre Workshop: Off-Broadway)
Oddly enough, I remember seeing “Merrily We Roll Along” when it opened on Broadway mid-November, 1981, even though it closed 12 days later after only 16 performances. I loved Stephen Sondheim’s songs but the George Furth’s book never quite jelled.
Based on the 1934 comedy by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart, it’s a cynical commentary on the toll that fame and fortune can take on friendship, focusing on three pals navigating the bittersweet twists and turns of the entertainment industry over three decades – as they age backwards from 40 to 20, growing younger and more naïve.
Now – thanks to director Maria Friedman at the New York Theatre Workshop (Off-Broadway on 4th Street) – it’s back and better than ever. “Better look back,” the chorus sings as the show starts, and so their stories unfold – in reverse chronological order.
It’s 1976 in California when their story begins. The thematic focus is on Franklin Shepard (Jonathan Groff), a composer-turned-movie producer with two divorces behind him and a third in progress. Charlie Kringas (Daniel Radcliffe) was his artistically purist lyricist – until they split in 1973. And Mary Flynn (Lindsay Mendez) is a drunk, embittered novelist-turned-theater critic who was once in love with Franklin.
There are other subordinate parts with several actors – Krystal Joy Brown, Reg Rogers and Katie Rose Clarke – as different characters. Music director Alvin Hough Jr. and eight musicians, perched above Soutra Gilmour’s serviceable set, seem to relish Jonathan Tunick’s orchestrations.
This current production was originally staged in 2012 at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory and then transferred to the West End, where it won an Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. Its North American premiere was at the Huntington Theatre in Boston in 2017 and it’s now expected to open on Broadway this coming Fall with Groff, Radcliffe and Mendez reprising their starring roles.
The musical’s 2 hours, 40 minute production at the New York Theatre Workshop runs through January 22nd. It is sold-out, but there are always cancellations particularly in bad weather. Catch it while you can and keep an eye on www.MerrilyOnBroadway.com