Merrily We Roll Along is a musical written by Stephen Sondheim, with a book by George Furth.
Plot[]
Merrily tells the story of three friends, Charley, a lyricist and playwright, Frank, a composer and Mary, a journalist and critic and how their friendship changes throughout the course of 20 years.
Act 1[]
In 1977, Frank Shepard hosts an opening-night party of Hollywood insiders, along with his mistress and star of his new film, Meg, who all lavishly praise him ("That Frank"). Frank initially seems cheerful but tenses when a partygoer mentions Charley Kringas, Frank's former best friend and musical collaborator. His oldest friend, theatre critic Mary Flynn, attends the party, but is dissatisfied by the other guests' shallowness and Frank's abandonment of music: his true talent. Becoming more and more jaded, Mary finally gives a drunken toast, castigating Frank and his guests, before storming out. Frank's wife Gussie arrives, angry that Meg landed the film role over her. He admits that he has pursued financial success at the expense of his values and loved ones. Gussie states that he is cheating on her with Meg. When he declares their marriage over, Gussie viciously splashes iodine in Meg's face. The year then goes back to 1973 when Frank and Charley are about to be interviewed. Mary greets Charley backstage, who says Frank rarely takes time to collaborate. Mary tries to soothe him by stating that she set up this interview to force Frank to publicly commit to the show the two men have been planning for years. ("Old Friends/Like It Was") and Charley, shocked, after 16 years, she's still in love with him. Frank arrives with his new wife Gussie, who is trying to avoid lending money to her ex-husband: washed-up Broadway producer Joe and is nervous to tell Charley that he signed a three-picture deal. However, Charley isn't pleased as the news slips before the interview goes live on the air, leading him to rant about Frank and how he cares about money more ("Franklin Shepard Inc"), ending their friendship. It is now 1968. Mary and Charley surprise Frank at his new apartment, located on Central Park West ("Second Transition") with Frank's son, Frankie, who he hasn't seen since the divorce from his first wife. Frank wants to option to do a filmed version of his and Charley's show, Musical Husbands in order to pay for the divorce. Charley objects and Mary calms her friend's tensions ("Old Friends"). Frank's producer, Joe and Joe's wife Gussie arrive with champagne, but Mary refuses as she is a teetotaler at this time. Everyone is aware that Frank and Gussie are having an affair, except Mary who, appalled to now comprehend this, gulps down the champagne. After everyone leaves, Frank plays an old song on his piano and attempts to understand his choices. On the verge of composing a new piece, he is interrupted when Gussie returns, announcing that she intends to leave Joe and commit to Frank ("Growing Up"). 1966 rolls around ("Third Transition"), Frank and his first wife Beth are fighting over custody of their son Frankie in a courthouse. Reporters flock around, eager to observe gossip since Gussie has been subpoenaed. Frank confronts Beth, who still loves him but cannot live with him knowing he was unfaithful to her with Gussie ("Not a Day Goes By"). Beth takes their son away, heading to Texas to reside with her father. Frank collapses in despair but is rebuked by Mary, Charley, and his other remaining friends who attempt to convince him that this is the "best thing that ever could have happened" ("Now You Know").
Act 2[]
1964. Gussie is preforming a song during the opening night of Musical Husbands ("Gussie's Opening Number"). The curtain closes down, realizing the show has been a hit ("It's a Hit"). Charley's wife is in labor and before he and Beth leave to the hospital, Mary begs her to stay behind so Frank isn't left alone with Gussie. Beth says she trusts her husband and leaves with Charley. In 1962 ("Fourth Transition"), Frank, Beth, Charley, and Mary have been invited to a party at Gussie and Joe's elegant Sutton Place apartment, where they stand starstruck by the influential crowd ("The Blob"). Deliberately spilling wine on Beth's dress, Gussie pulls Frank away from the partygoers, confiding her unhappiness to him, and convinces him to write the commercial show Joe is producing, Musical Husbands, rather than the political satire he and Charley are trying to get produced ("Growing Up" (Reprise)). She invites the songwriters to perform their new song, "Good Thing Going". The guests enjoy it, and Gussie implores them to do an encore, however, the guests quickly lose interest and resume their noisy cocktail chatter ("The Blob" (Reprise). Charley storms out as Mary looks on worriedly. In 1960 ("Fifth Transition"). Charley, Frank, and Beth are performing at a small nightclub in Greenwich Village, with Mary lending a hand. Trying to appear bright and sophisticated, they perform a song celebrating America's new First Family ("Bobby and Jackie and Jack"). Joe is in the tiny audience and is quite impressed, as is his new fiancée and former secretary Gussie. After the show, Frank tells them that he and Beth are marrying. It is clear that the wedding is due to her pregnancy, but Frank professes his happiness anyway. With Mary, Charley, and Beth's disapproving parents looking on, the happy couple exchanges vows as a lovelorn Mary tries to swallow her feelings for Frank ("Not a Day Goes By" (Reprise)). In 1958 ("Sixth Transition"), Frank, Charley, and Mary are in New York, working their way up the career ladder, taking any job they can and working hard on their songs, plays and novels. Frank and Charley audition for Joe, but he desires more "hummable" songs and instructs them to leave their name with his secretary, Gussie. So, they decide to perform their own show and, in an ensuing montage, audition and hire Beth, forming a cabaret show together ("Opening Doors"). In 1957 ("Seventh Transition"), early one morning, college-attending Frank and Charley are on the roof of an apartment building on New York City's 110th Street, waiting to spot the first-ever Earth-orbiting satellite, Sputnik. Frank tells Charley how much he enjoys Charley's plays and proposes that they transform one, a political satire, into a musical. Mary, their neighbor, arrives to view the satellite, and meets the boys for the first time. She has heard Frank's piano from her apartment and informs him how much she admires his music. He expresses how much composing means to him. Suddenly, Sputnik appears in the sky, and now, for the young friends, anything is possible ("Our Time").
Notable Productions[]
Broadway (1981)[]
The original cast included Ann Morrison as Mary, Lonny Price as Charley, Jim Walton as Frank, Terry Flynn as Gussie, Jason Alexander as Joe, Sally Klein as Beth, Geoffery Horne as Frank aged 43, David Loud as Ted, Daisy Prince as Meg, Liz Callaway as the nightclub waitress, Tonya Pinkins as Gwen, Abby Pogrebin as Evelyn and Giancarlo Esposito as the valedictorian. The original production ran for 16 performances and 44 previews after opening on November 16, 1981.
Off-Broadway[]
The 1994 production was directed by Susan H. Shulman. It opened on May 26, 1994, with the cast composing of Malcolm Gets as Frank, Adam Heller as Charley, and Amy Ryder as Mary
San Diego/Washington DC[]
A production directed by James Lapine opened on June 16, 1985, at San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse, where it ran for 24 performances. The cast included John Rubinstein as Frank, Chip Zien as Charley, Marin Mazzie as Beth, and Heather MacRae as Mary.
An Arena Stage production, directed by Douglas C. Wager and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge, opened on January 30, 1990, at Washington, D.C.'s Kreeger Theater, where it ran slightly more than two months. The cast included Victor Garber, David Garrison, Becky Ann Baker and, as in San Diego, Marin Mazzie as Beth. In his review of the production, Rich wrote, "Many of the major flaws of the 1981 Merrily, starting with its notorious gymnasium setting, have long since been jettisoned or rectified in intervening versions produced in La Jolla, Calif., and in Seattle." He called the score "exceptional".
A 2005 production in Southern California starred Paul Downs Colaizzo directed by Ryan Mekenian. A 2007 Signature Theatre production also ran in Arlington, Virginia.
United Kingdom[]
The UK premiere of Merrily We Roll Along was at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama on May 11, 1983. The first professional production in the UK was by the Library Theatre Company in Manchester in 1984, directed by Howard Lloyd Lewis and choreographed by Paul Kerryson.
Paul Kerryson directed a production of the show at the Haymarket Theatre, Leicester with orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick and music direction by Julian Kelly. The production opened on 14 April 1992 with a cast that included Michael Cantwell as Frank, Maria Friedman as Mary and Evan Pappas as Charlie. A cast recording of the production was released in 1994 which included extended cuts and dialogue. The show finally received its West End premiere at London's Donmar Warehouse on 11 December 2000 in a production directed by Michael Grandage, running for 71 performances following eight previews. The cast was led by Julian Ovenden as Frank, Samantha Spiro as Mary and Daniel Evans as Charley. Spiro and Evans received Olivier Awards for their performances, and the production received the Olivier for Best Musical.
Karen Hebden's production for Derby Playhouse in May 2007 featured Glyn Kerslake as Frank, Glenn Carter as Charley, Eliza Lumley as Mary, and Cheryl McAvoy as Beth.
Maria Friedman directed a revival of the musical at London's Menier Chocolate Factory, which opened on 28 November 2012 and transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End on 1 May 2013. The production starred Mark Umbers as Frank, Jenna Russell as Mary and Damian Humbley as Charley. The revival won the Peter Hepple Award for Best Musical in the 2012 Critics' Circle Theatre Awards. It was filmed and broadcast to select cinemas in 2013.
Reunion concert[]
The original cast of the 1981 production reunited for a one night on September 30, 2002, at the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Preforming Arts for a benefit concert with Sondheim and Prince both in attendance.[1]
Encores![]
The 2012 Encores production took place at the New York City Center and ran from February 8 to 19, 2012. This production starred Colin Donnell as Frank, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Mary, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Charley, Elizabeth Stanley as Gussie, and Betsy Wolfe as Beth. This version incorporated parts of revisions done for the 1985 La Jolla Playhouse production and 1990 and 1994 productions. Many members of the original production were invited to attend on February 14 and joined the Encores! cast and Sondheim on stage following the performance to sing "Old Friends".
2022 Off-Broadway Revival[]
The Off-Broadway cast featured Daniel Radcliffe as Charley Kringas, Jonathan Groff as Frank Shepard, Lindsay Mendez as Mary Flynn, Katie Rose Clarke as Beth Shepard, Reg Rogers as Joe Josephson, and Krystal Joy Brown as Gussie Carnegie and ran from November 21, 2022, to January 22, 2023, at the New York Theatre Workshop.
2023 Broadway Revival[]
The cast later transferred to Broadway at the Hudson Theatre for a limited engagement, with the principal actors reprising their roles. Previews of the Broadway production began on September 19, 2023, with opening night on October 10, and the show recently extended until July 7, 2024, when the production concluded. This production won 4 Tony Awards including Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Radcliffe), Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Groff), Best Revival of a Musical, and Best Orchestrations (Jonathan Tunick). In June 2024, it was announced that this production of Merrily would be filmed by RadicalMedia, the same company that filmed Hamilton and Come from Away[2]. In April 2025, Sony Pictures Classic required acquired distribution rights to the filmed production[3]. It is scheduled to be theatrically released on December 5, 2025.
Recordings[]
The original Broadway cast recorded the show the day after their final performance. The recording was released by RCA as an LP album in April 1982, then compact disc in 1986. A 2007 remastered CD release from Sony/BMG Broadway Masterworks includes a bonus track of Sondheim performing "It's a Hit". In his review of the album, Alan Stern of The Boston Phoenix felt that "Merrily We Roll Along is not in the same league with Sweeney Todd. Although ingeniously structured, Merrily is less ambitious and less accomplished. Fans of Sondheimian mordancy and wordplay will be disappointed: lyrically, the songs are less showy than anything he’s written since 1964's Anyone Can Whistle.
A cast recording of the 2012 Encores! revival was released by PS Classics as a two-CD set, featuring Colin Donnell, Celia Keenan Bolger, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Betsy Wolfe, and Elizabeth Stanley.
Various artists have recorded the show's songs, including Carly Simon, Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra, Petula Clark, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Betty Buckley, Cleo Laine, Liza Minnelli, Barbara Cook, Patti LuPone, Barry Manilow, Audra McDonald, Michael Crawford, and Lena Horne. "Not a Day Goes By", "Good Thing Going", "Old Friends", and "Our Time" frequently appear on the cabaret circuit.
The 2023 Broadway revival production released a digital cast recording on November 15, after announcing it just a few hours before at the end of the performance on November 14. The physical CD was released on January 12, 2024.
Documentary[]
Original cast member Lonny Price directed the documentary Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened, describing the "thrilling, wrenching experience" of the original production. The film opened November 18, 2016, in New York City, followed by a question-and-answer session with Price, moderated by Bernadette Peters.
Film adaptation[]
Richard Linklater announced in 2019 that he would film an adaptation of the musical over the course of twenty years, allowing the cast to age with their characters (a style Linklater used in Boyhood). Actors Ben Platt, Paul Mescal, and Beanie Feldstein portray Charley, Frank, and Mary. Mescal replaced Blake Jenner, who was initially attached to the project.
The 2017 film Lady Bird includes a school production of Merrily We Roll Along in its story; one of the students in the production was played by Feldstein.
Awards and nominations[]
Original Broadway production[]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score | Stephen Sondheim | Nominated |
| Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lyrics | Won | |||
| Theatre World Award | Ann Morrison | Won | ||
1994 Off-Broadway production[]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Malcolm Gets | Nominated | ||
Original London production[]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best New Musical | Won | |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Daniel Evans | Won | ||
| Best Actress in a Musical | Samantha Spiro | Won | ||
| Best Theatre Choreographer | Peter Darling | Nominated | ||
2012 London production[]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Critics' Circle Theatre Award | Best Musical | Won | |
2013 West End production[]
| Year | Award | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Best Musical | Won | |
| 2014 | |||
2022 Off-Broadway revival[]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | Jonathan Groff | Nominated | ||
| Lindsay Mendez | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical | Daniel Radcliffe | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Director of a Musical | Maria Friedman | Nominated | ||
| Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Revival | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical | Lindsay Mendez | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical | Krystal Joy Brown | Nominated | ||
| Reg Rogers | Nominated | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical (On or Off-Broadway) | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical | Jonathan Groff | Won | ||
| Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical | Lindsay Mendez | Won | ||
| Daniel Radcliffe | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Director of a Musical | Maria Friedman | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Orchestrations | Jonathan Tunick | Nominated | ||
| Off-Broadway Alliance Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Won | ||
2023 Broadway revival[]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | Won | |
| Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Maria Friedman | Won | ||
| Distinguished Performance | Jonathan Groff | Nominated | ||
| Lindsay Mendez | Nominated | |||
| Daniel Radcliffe | Nominated | |||
| Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Won | ||
| Best Actor in a Musical | Jonathan Groff | Won | ||
| Best Featured Actor in a Musical | Daniel Radcliffe | Won | ||
| Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Lindsay Mendez | Nominated | ||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Maria Friedman | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound Design of a Musical | Kai Harada | Nominated | ||
| Best Orchestrations | Jonathan Tunick | Won | ||
| New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards | Special Citation | Honored | ||