IN NOVEMBER 1981, Merrily We Roll Along made its Broadway debut. Sixteen performances later, it famously closed as a flop. Created by Stephen Sondheim and Hal Prince, the show follows three plucky young friends-Frank, a composer; Charley, a playwright; and Mary, a writer who, over time, slowly start to resent one another. Notably, the story is told backward, spanning two decades from their 40s, when they're embittered adults, back down to their 20s, when they're aspirational artists hanging out on a roof. The 2016 documentary Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened chronicled the lives of the original production's actors-a cast of 16-to-25-year-olds-while painting a picture of how the show is widely perceived. "One of the lessons of adulthood is disappointment," one actor says in the film, summarizing both life and, ironically, Merrily. Now, the show is back on Broadway for the first time, directed by Maria Friedman, with 42 years of changes and a cast that earned rave reviews for an Off Broadway production last winter-Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe, who play Frank, Mary, and Charley respectively potentially making it the type of show its explosive Act Two number "It's a Hit!" could be sung about.
Did you have a relationship to Merrily prior to getting involved with the production?
JONATHAN GROFF: The documentary was the first time I knew anything about it.
LINDSAY MENDEZ: Same.
DANIEL RADCLIFFE: I saw this production in London in 2013, and that was my only experience of the musical. I had no appreciation of the troubled history of the show until I watched the documentary.
What did you think when you were first cast together?
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Trapped in Time
A woman relives the same day in a stunning Danish novel.
Polyphonic City
A SOFT, SHIMMERING beauty permeates the images of Mumbai that open Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light. For all the nighttime bustle on display-the heave of people, the constant activity and chaos-Kapadia shoots with a flair for the illusory.
Lear at the Fountain of Youth
Kenneth Branagh's production is nipped, tucked, and facile.
A Belfast Lad Goes Home
After playing some iconic Americans, Anthony Boyle is a beloved IRA commander in a riveting new series about the Troubles.
The Pluck of the Irish
Artists from the Indiana-size island continue to dominate popular culture. Online, they've gained a rep as the \"good Europeans.\"
Houston's on Houston
The Corner Store is like an upscale chain for downtown scene-chasers.
A Brownstone That's Pink Inside
Artist Vivian Reiss's Murray Hill house of whimsy.
These Jeans Made Me Gay
The Citizens of Humanity Horseshoe pants complete my queer style.
Manic, STONED, Throttle, No Brakes
Less than six months after her Gagosian sölu show, the artist JAMIAN JULIANO-VILLAND lost her gallery and all her money and was preparing for an exhibition with two the biggest living American artists.
WHO EVER THOUGHT THAT BRIGHT PINK MEAT THAT LASTS FOR WEEKS WAS A GOOD IDEA?
Deli Meat Is Rotten