Merrily We Roll Along producer says Broadway recording ‘is not a capture… it’s its own genre’ of film

Chatting exclusively to the WhatsOnStage Podcast, Sonia Friedman revealed her excitement about the forthcoming release of the Broadway capture of Merrily We Roll Along. 

Acquired by Sony Pictures earlier this year, it is being described as an “immersive film” that ”showcases brilliant and groundbreaking direction by Maria Friedman, illuminating the amazing performances up close and personal, unlike anything audiences have ever seen before.”

Told backward, Merrily We Roll Along tracks the friendship of Franklin Shepard (Jonathan Groff), Charles Kringas (Daniel Radcliffe), and Mary Flynn (Lindsay Mendez) from jaded middle-age to dreamy early adulthood.

Listen to Sonia Friedman discussing the film in our dedicated WhatsOnStage Podcast, with the conversation turning to the film at around 35:42. It’s free here:

An infamous flop when it first played Broadway in 1981, Merrily We Roll Along was one of the biggest hits of the season, fulfilling the expectation that it would easily win the 2024 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. Maria Friedman directed the production, which debuted at New York Theatre Workshop in 2022 before moving to the Hudson Theatre on Broadway.

TheaterMania’s review called Merrily, “one of those transcendent productions I’ll look back on fondly forever.”

In addition to Groff (who won a Tony for his performance), Radcliffe (who also won a Tony), and Mendez (a past Tony winner), the cast features Krystal Joy Brown as Gussie Carnegie, Katie Rose Clarke as Beth Shepard, and Reg Rogers as Joe Josephson.

The company includes Max Rackenberg, Rocco Van Auken, Brady Wagner, Sherz Aletaha, Maya Boyd, Leana Rae Concepcion, Morgan Kirner, Ken Krugman, Corey Mach, Talia Simone Robinson, Amanda Rose, Jamila Sabares-Klemm, Brian Sears, Evan Alexander Smith, Christian Strange, Koray Tarhan, Vishal Vaidya, Natalie Wachen, and Jacob Keith Watson.

This is the second taping of Friedman’s production; it was shot during its original West End run, with a cast led by Mark Umbers, Damian Humbley, and Jenna Russell.

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