Merrily We Roll Along

Greetings again from the darkness. For live theater lovers, the film version of a favorite play or musical comes with pros and cons. The film's director, Maria Friedman (a renowned stage actor) strives to deliver the intimacy of a stage performance with cinematic qualities. What we see was the filming of a stage presentation in June 2024 at The Hudson Theater in New York City. The story was written by George Furth with music by Stephen Sondheim, only the production has quite an interesting history, with an original production in 1934 written by George S Kaufman and Moss Hart.

The story structure is fascinating in that it's presented in reverse order. The opening sequence shows the resulting breakdown of friendship between three: composer Franklin Sheperd (Jonathan Groff), playwright and lyricist Charley Kringas (Daniel Radcliff), and theater critic and author Mary Flynn (Lindsay Mendez). All three actors are Tony Award winners and are in prime form here. We then proceed to go back in time across three decades as the years are noted. Instead of watching this friendship triumvirate breakdown, we watch the bonds grow stronger ... only of course this is actually putting the causes of the breakdown on center stage - one phase at a time.

It's not just the three leads who are standouts. Katie Rose Clarke as Beth Sheperd, Krystal Joy Brown as Gussie, and Reg Rogers as Joe Josephon are all excellent. It's rare to find so many superb soloists in one program, and each has their moment (or moments) to shine. Beth is Franklin's first wife and the mother of his child. Gussie is a Broadway star and Franklin's second wife, while Joe is a producer who experiences the highs and lows of show business.

While the play-it-in-reverse structure provides a uniqueness to the presentation, the story itself has quite a bit to offer in terms of complexity. The fragility of friendship and the importance of constantly working at relationships is front and center, yet it's only one element. Also on display here is how cruel show business can be. Sometimes you are loved and showered with adulation, while other times they say you are too old for a role. Ego and emotions are constantly in play here, including envy and arrogance. Although it's the sneakiest element, perhaps my personal favorite is the unrequited love Mary carries towards an unaware Franklin. It leads to her bitterness and alcoholism, and her story is the most interesting when you read about the origins of Kaufman's story. When the opening number is a robust, "How did you get to be here?", the rest of the play is spent showing us.

Opening in theaters on December 5, 2025.

The storyline follows three friends who meet in college and we follow their life from 1957 to 1976. Each friend is successful in their own way and each one makes decisions that affect their friendships differently. The main character is Frank Shepard (Johnathan Groff) who is a composer. His best friend Charley Kringas (Daniel Radcliffe) is a lyricist and a playwright. Mary Flynn (Lindsay Mendez) is a writer and the friend who tries to hold the group's friendship together throughout the years. Each scene explores an important event in their lives.

This is a filmed version of a stage production so the camera angles are adjusted so they don't show too much of the stage. I like how the sets are quickly changed with minimal distraction. I also really like how costumes are used to help tell each character's story. For example, Charley, the character who remains true to himself the entire time has the same costume for every scene, except one. Frank switches from a t-shirt when he is younger to a long sleeved shirt when he is older, but it is the same color and style. I really enjoyed each of the songs because they help the story move along and are very catchy. This is a movie I will want to watch again because the story is so beautiful. I especially love how it shows how complex and fragile friendships can be.

This film has several powerful messages about the importance of being a good friend, being true to oneself, and how our choices affect our future. Be aware that it does contain some references to drinking, smoking, drugs, and mild profanity.

I give Merrily We Roll Along 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. It releases in select theaters starting December 5, 2025.

By Julie O., KIDS FIRST!

. Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Natalie Wachen star in the Stephen Sondheim/George Furth musical about the moral and artistic disintegration of a once promising composer, told in reverse order.

It's based on the Kaufman and Hart play of the same title, although the central, disintegrating character -- here Groff -- was a playwright in the original version. It was one of the team's failures, partially because the legitimate stage was a disaster at that time, and partially due to the confusing order of events. I've never seen that show, but I have read it, and I can appreciate the confusion, but feel that, like this version, it's a tragedy of irony, beginning with the disintegration of his marriage and his last old friend, and ending with their hopeful meeting.

Based on the version that played at the Beacon Theater in New York City, and shot there, director Maria Friedman and her DP keep the camera moving; in concert with the editing by Spencer Averick, it works surprisingly well, and Sondheim's lyrics are impeccably biting, increasingly so as the characters become young and more idealistic and we know how badly things will end. Groff gives a sterling performance, as does Miss Wachen as best friend and booster. However, it's Radcliffe, the only well-known name in the cast who gets top billing.

I think it's great, but SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE aside, I think he's made few missteps, even though his stuff is usually too highbrow to attract the audiences. I wouldn't recommend this for a beginner; it's tough enough to enjoy Sondheim without the weird structure added on. If you like his work, though, you'll love this.

I was fortunate to see this revival of Merrily We Roll Along in November 2023 although Lindsay Mendez was not in it. She, Daniel Radcliffe and Jonathan Croft have great chemistry with portraying these characters. The music and the story is so inspiring. It was wonderful to see this musical on the big screen that had filmed in front of an audience before the production closed. Sondheim would have been proud of this production of a musical that was unlike anything audiences had seen when it opened on Broadway in 1981. Recommend seeing the documentary about the making of the original production the Best thing that ever happened.

One of my favorite things about pro shots is they really give you an appreciation for all of the moving parts that make a show thrive. This show was no exception, you fell in love with each member of the ensemble, costume change, lighting design, or set. Seeing it so close, made it seem just that much more incredible.

Now to talk about the actual show. One central idea, it was amazing. The first, most obvious question, does the music hit? Of course it does, it's Sondheim. If you are a fan of Sondheim's work like I am, you will be eating very good with this, assuming you're not already a fan of the 1982 version. We get a masterclass putter song with Franklin Shepard, Inc. Which Daniel Radcliffe does amazing on, all versions of Old Friends go astronomically hard, and then some of my fun favorites like It's a Hit!, or Radcliffe's beautiful ballad of Good Thing Going. I'm sure you will have a different song as your favorite, but the point is, the music was not lacking at all.

But we ALL knew the music was gonna be great, plus the cast recordings been out for a year. The real sinker, that you could only see if you saw it live or this pro shot was the absolutely fantastic acting. Out of the big three (Groff, Radcliffe, Mendez) there was not a single one of them that seemed to out act another. Obviously you will likely remember Johnathan Groff because he was the lead, and his memorability is well earned because wow he was incredible. Watching him go from how he was at the beginning, to where he ends up is so moving. Well deserved Tony. Then we got Daniel Radcliffe with such a great performance, only stunted by the shocking realization he's SO SHORT! And last but certainly not least Lindsay Mendez, God what a tragic character. You felt for Mary every scene she was in, it was so heartbreaking.

Those were the leads, but the supporting roles were almost equally as memorable. Krystal Joy Brown is infuriatingly good. Reg Rogers was so good as well. Then the ensemble as a whole was so great, each harmony, each set transition, there wasn't a lot of dancing, but every movement felt so specific and thought out.

This whole thing felt like a love letter to theatre, it was right down my ally. I mourn the fact I didn't see this broadway. It deserved every single Tony.