”Merrily We Roll Along” announced in NYMT season

National Youth Music Theatre will present a line-up of three major musicals this summer, including the critically acclaimed Merrily We Roll Along by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth.

Directed by Katherine Hare, with musical direction by Leigh Thompson, and choreography by Julia Cave, this semi-autobiographical musical is a Broadway fable about friendship, compromise, and the high price of success.

The show begins in the present and moves backwards, tracing the lives of wealthy, jaded composer, Franklin Shepard, and his two estranged friends through each milestone of their personal and professional lives (good and bad). The production will take place at the Southwark Playhouse (Elephant) in London from Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 August 2023. It is supported by the Stephen Sondheim Society.

A major revival of the musical is preparing for a Broadway run later this year, led by Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, while a film version starring Paul Mescal and Ben Platt is also in development.

National Youth Music Theatre’s line-up also includes Kiss Me, Kate at the Curve, Leicester from Wednesday 9 to Saturday 12 August, the world premiere of The Boy Who Sailed The Ocean in an Armchair at the Curve, Leicester from Wednesday 16 to Saturday 19 August, and NYMT in Concert: When I Grow Up at the Rose Theatre, Kingston on Saturday 8 July, and at Southwark Playhouse (Elephant) in London on Sunday 27 August.

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