Since its Broadway premiere in 1981, Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along has been struggling to, well, get back to Broadway.
The musical about 20 years of friendship between composer Franklin Shepard, lyricist Charley Kringas and writer Mary Flynn — which unfolds onstage in reverse chronological order, starting when that friendship has dissolved and all three are jaded shadows of their former selves — famously ran for just 16 performances and 44 previews in its original production. Over the years since, several prominent productions have attempted to solve what many considered the show’s inherent problems, and in that time, it’s also become one of Sondheim’s most beloved shows (and scores), a musical fan’s musical.
Now, Merrily has finally made that long-awaited return to Broadway, in an acclaimed production directed by Maria Friedman that critics have unanimously deemed the one the show always deserved. A second extension of its limited engagement at the Hudson Theatre was just announced (through July 7, 2024), and ticket sales have smashed its theater’s record seven times. And the show’s success owes a great deal to the joyous chemistry between its three leads: Jonathan Groff as Shepard, Daniel Radcliffe as Kringas and Lindsay Mendez as Flynn.
The trio’s vocal talents can be heard on the new Merrily cast recording, streaming now and available on physical CD on Jan. 12 (via Sony Masterworks Broadway). Below, Billboard exclusively premieres a music video of them performing one of the musical’s central songs, “Old Friends.”
