With ‘Merrily We Roll Along,’ Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez Give a Notorious Musical Flop the Glorious Revival It Deserves
variety.comGordon Cox Theater Editor For every production of “Merrily We Roll Along,” there is always a question. Ever since the ignominious failure of its Broadway premiere, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1981 musical has carried the reputation of being too flawed, too facile, too conceptual ever to satisfy — while at the same time, a cult of creatives and fans have remained steadfastly convinced the show’s a masterpiece, needing only the right staging to reveal it.
The same question, then, haunts every revival: Is this the version that finally fulfills the promise of “Merrily We Roll Along”?
Judging from critical and audience response, the latest New York production may be the one that achieves it. When director Maria Friedman’s staging, anchored by the starry trio of Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Tony winner Lindsay Mendez, opened Off Broadway last year at New York Theatre Workshop, critics raved.
The 41-year- old Sondheim musical became the hottest ticket in town for the entirety of its sold-out run. Now, with “Merrily We Roll Along” previewing on Broadway, the question becomes: How’d they do it?
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