Although it was one of the less famous musicals from the most famous musical composer of all time, Stephen Sondheim, Merrily We Roll Along was revived for Broadway following an Off-Broadway debut with an all-star cast. Starring Johnathan Groff as Frank, Daniel Radcliffe as Charles and Lindsay Mendez as Mary, the show begins at Frank’s career peak in Hollywood, while gradually rolling back the clock to twenty years earlier when the three main characters first became friends. Along the way, romantic complications, career spirals and colliding relationships complicate the connection between these close friends as we get an impression of their whole lives through only a half dozen singular moments.
As a filmed version of the Broadway production, the focus here is on using the camera to display the magic and artistry that this cast and crew made on stage. The main praise has always been on the actors. Johnathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe justly won Tony’s for their performance and Lindsay Mendez was also nominated. This show has already met acclaim and now, the whole world hopefully has the chance to see just why their show was so lauded.
This as the Tony’s show, came a lot from the actors and their chemistry with one another. While it takes a couple segments to get going, you see instantly how well the three come together as friends and also the more it goes into the past, the more we see how much the actors do to show the change in their characters.
Johnathan Groff is amazing as the lead. I may have personal bias as I have loved him in any project where he has led it (Looking, Mindhunter). Here he shows even more how capable he is of becoming a leading man he is. The way he plays a hopefully young art student turn into a Hollywood mogul is subtle but the slight changes he makes scene to scene is thoughtful. While he never gets as grand a moment as Radcliffe or even Mendez get every song he gets provides so much to the whole show. Many of the close ups where he not speaking and simply reacting to how the people in his life view him is heartbreaking in sad moments but also hilarious in comedic parts.
That is one part I have to praise director of this filmed version Maria Friedman for. She brings the camera right onto the stage, using different lens lengths to create tighter close ups, moving camera shots and edits that help capture details in the actor’s performances that a live audience may not be able to see as well. She also shows how much work her team put into the details of the set pieces and props which are used lively and with natural abandon to help capture the drama or hilarity of different moments. The lighting is still very much a plays lighting and the minimal use of dramatic lighting for the show does make some shots not as nice looking as one could hope even for a stage production. Still the use of the camera is thoughtful, the choice to include or not include certain people in the frame at different moments help us hone in on the important parts of the story while still showing off the natural magic that the stage is supposed to provide.
Daniel Radcliffe is also brilliant in this supporting role. He is certainly the most important part besides Groff and in many ways his relationship with Groff’s character is what determines the whole course of his life. Radcliffe as Charlie is clearly the quieter of the two, but his impact comes in full motion during scenes where he is allowed by the other characters around him to be the dominant voice. The second scene in the whole show has the show’s best song and his work with it is both tragic and hilarious akin to the work Peter Finch does in Network but with a comedy musical spin. Lastly, Lindsay Mendez is great in this role, playing an even more subtle part of Frank’s life but also being crucial in many moments. Her story is less detailed then either Frank’s or Charlie’s maybe even less than Frank’s romantic partners but she also embodies the tragedy of the story. She sings her heart out being one of the strongest in the ensemble while nailing the more eccentric moments in some scenes.
I personally love the idea of this show. The whole life of these characters, told through Frank is both joyous and tragic. The way they imply so much with the performances, songs and dialogue about what happened in between scenes is astounding. The show also wisely avoids doing too many moments where characters dialogue or even sing about what has happened. But the story gives just enough detail and precise human moments to have us fill in the gaps. The show leans into the beauty of musical theater which is the way it sparks the imagination. Our natural suspension of disbelief when we see people on a stage also is needed to think about all the things that may have happened to Frank and his people in between each year. Each scene is also very engaging in its own right as it brings you into the drama and turns even if we know what the final destination and the result of the drama will be. Each moment from Frank’s life feels so smartly curated for us and brings the audience into a enriching story.
The character of Frank is never judged. The story lets us determine how his commitment to the best art became a commitment to the most money. Its a understandable journey for Frank who has his own personal set backs that cause him to justify his less artistically pure choices but he also seems like a shell of himself. The moments we see embrace art later in the show then seems so far off from the man we met at the beginning. This feels very much in conversation with Blue Moon from Richard Linklater this year which uses a specific moment in an artists life to try to show why he went down an undesirable path. It also then makes perfect sense that in 20 years or so I may be reviewing Linklater’s film adaption of this story which in the same manner as Boyhood will be filmed over the 20 years this story takes place. For many artists the balance of making a fiscal life beside art and personal endeavors is too much. Something has to be put on the back burner and this musical shows the sadness that choice contains.
Asks if film and musicals alike are falling for this, a bit ironic considering this got filmed and put in theaters likely because . There is a hope that this kind of format can succeed, that is doesn’t always have to be film adaptations that take the spotlight because there is a magic in the interactions and creativity to convey story on a stage with an ensemble and with minimal, abstract set designs. A great show that had great care in its capture for the screen.
Merrily We Roll Along is available in theatres on Friday, December 5th, 2025.
