‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Proshot is Broadway At Its Finest
I have a lot of complicated feelings about Stephen Sondheim, which might be one of the most theater-kid sentences I’ve ever written. While he’s absolutely one of my favorite composers and lyricists to ever grace Broadway, there are also shows from him that I struggle to get into for whatever reason. For every Sweeney Todd and Company, there’s an Into the Woods. This is no slight against those who love Into the Woods; it just isn’t a musical for me. So I was apprehensive to say the least when a Merrily We Roll Along revival was announced for the 2023-2024 Broadway season.
But that’s when something magical happened: the theater world went insane upon the opening of Merrily We Roll Along. It was a phenomenon that percolated throughout every aspect of my life. People I knew who had never attended a Broadway show before were flocking to the Hudson Theatre to see Merrily. There was something in the air for this Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez-led musical, as it took over the world in a way I haven’t seen since Hamilton burst on the scene. With four Tony Award wins, Merrily We Roll Along was something special, making it almost impossible to see on Broadway, unless you were willing to remortgage your house or sell your firstborn to secure the tickets.
However, now, thanks to Sony Pictures Classics, those of us who missed Merrily We Roll Along when it ran on Broadway can now experience it in cinemas! The pro-shot has finally arrived in theaters, bringing audiences up close and personal with this Tony Award-winning show.
[Warning: Spoilers from the Merrily We Roll Along proshot are below!]
A tale of three old friends in Merrily We Roll Along
Unlike so many stories, which are told linearly, Merrily We Roll Along begins at the end and works itself back. Hollywood, 1977, is where this musical begins, on one of the biggest nights of Frank Shepard’s (Jonathan Groff) career. Frank is finally seeing the fruits of his labor at a party celebrating the opening of his film. Surrounded by those who admire him, including his second wife and his friend, Mary (Lindsay Mendez), nothing can bring him down. Well, except for maybe the mention of his ex-best friend, Charlie (Daniel Radcliffe), which is the exact moment that his life begins to unravel.
Using this lavish, cocktail-fueled party as a diving board, audiences are transported back, watching as a friendship breaks up in reverse. Over the course of Merrily We Roll Along, you learn just how deep Charlie and Frank’s connection is, which makes that opening scene that much more heartbreaking. Not only were they friends, but also business partners, which, in their case, only seemed to complicate matters. Charlie was the lyricist to Frank’s compositions, making them a packaged deal, or so the former thought.
What becomes apparent from the beginning of the show is that Frank is motivated by his greed. He desires to be successful, measuring it by how quickly he can move up the proverbial ladder. He’s less concerned about those he steps over, such as his two wives, whom he continually screws over with the next woman to catch his eye, or his friends, who would go to the ends of the Earth for him.
All Charlie ever wanted was to make art, which was a passion that Frank had at the beginning. Together, they wanted to tell the stories they wanted to tell, and not the ones that studios dictated to them. However, over the years, Frank continues to push for greater commercial success, becoming addicted to the fame that comes with it. Charlie consistently compromises, first with Frank and eventually his morals, to keep his friendship alive.
And of course, standing by their sides is the steadfast Mary, who supports their dream while pursuing her own of being a writer. However, he main conflict also comes in the form of Frank, whom she’s madly in love with. Throughout Merrily We Roll Along, she tries to keep the peace between Charlie and Frank, while also falling deeper into alcoholism to do so. With audiences already knowing the end results of all of Frank’s relationships, the journey through the show is to find out the why, which is where the heart of the show truly lies
The lasting impact of Merrily We Roll Along
The beauty of Merrily comes from not knowing where the story ends, but the unfolding of how these characters got there. Too often, we fall into believing that only the end of the story matters, but truly, life is built on a multitude of decisions, all of which impact how our lives turn out.
While the story would work perfectly if we traveled linearly from their earliest moments, Merrily We Roll Along’s poetic beauty comes from the reverse. It’s like examining a work of art; at first, you notice the entire piece, but the more you stare at it, you begin to notice the brush strokes. Peeling back the layers, year by year, you come to appreciate all the choices that have led to all three friends’ ultimate choices. Even if you don’t love the choices that Frank makes, there’s a deeper understanding of why he made them as you backtrack through the highlights of his friendship with Charlie and Mary.
What Merrily We Roll Along accomplishes is nothing short of theater magic, as there’s something so special about what is happening on stage between these three incredible actors. It’s no wonder that Groff and Radcliffe won Tonys for their performances in Merrily, as they’ve given their all for this show (although Mendez was robbed of a Tony for her performance, as she’s equally as good as the other two). The chemistry between these three actors is astounding, some of the best that I’ve seen from a Broadway production, and frankly, I’ve seen quite a lot.
Their chemistry is what helps sell the relationships in the show. These actors are not just castmates but true friends, making Merrily that much more believable and even more heartbreaking. When you can see how much these people care for each other, it makes the journey to ruin feel vastly more visceral, which ultimately left me in a puddle by the end of the pro-shot.
Final thoughts on the Merrily We Roll Along proshot
My biggest regret after watching this pro-shot of Merrily We Roll Along was not seeing this show in NYC. This revival is quite possibly the best thing that has come from Broadway. The cast and crew have reinvented this timeless tale for a new generation, with this revival serving as the new blueprint for what other adaptations must match. Merrily We Roll Along is one of the best that the theater has to offer, meaning that this pro-shot isn’t something to miss.
Merrily We Roll Along is currently in theaters! Planning to see it in the cinema? Let us know @BoxSeatBabes on social media!
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