At Long Last, ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Might Be a Broadway Hit

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( CALLING ALL MOVIE FANATICS Vulture’s Movies Fantasy League is back. [Sign up by September 28]( to challenge your friends and enter for a chance to win a brand-new Roku TV just in time for awards season. theater [Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez Are Old Friends Now]( In their hands, Merrily We Roll Along might be a Broadway hit at long last. Photo: Mark Seliger/© MARK SELIGER [Merrily We Roll Along]( made its Broadway debut in November 1981. Sixteen performances later, it famously closed as a flop. An adaptation of a George Kaufman and Moss Hart play of the same name that debuted in 1934, the show was created by the legendary team of [Stephen Sondheim]( and [Hal Prince]( with George Furth writing the book. It tells the story of three plucky young friends — Frank, a composer; Charley, a playwright; and Mary, a writer — who, over time, slowly start to resent each other. Except, notably, that story is told backward: spanning about two decades, from age 40, when they’re embittered adults, back down to their 20s, when they’re aspirational artists hanging out on a roof. It immediately landed in the shadow of Sondheim and Prince’s previous work, Sweeney Todd. “Mr. Sondheim has given this evening a half-dozen songs that are crushing and beautiful — that soar and linger and hurt,” Frank Rich wrote in his review for the New York [Times](. “But the show that contains them is a shambles.” Its failure broke down Sondheim and Prince’s collaborative relationship and became regarded as Sondheim’s black sheep. In 2016, the documentary [Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened]( chronicled the lives of the original production’s young actors — a cast of 16-to-25-year-olds that included Jim Walton (Frank), Lonny Price (Charley), Ann Morrison (Mary), and a young Jason Alexander as Broadway producer Joe Josephson — 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, both summarizing life and, ironically, Merrily. [read more]( Devour pop culture with us. Subscribe now to [save over 60 percent]( on unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • Below Deck Down Under: [What Goes Around Comes Around]( • Only Murders in the Building: [Tricky Dickie]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [Rules to Eating Like a Dutton Yellowstone is taking over the heart of America, and now it’s coming for its stomach.]( By Bethy Squires [Taylor Swift Wants You to Google Her To crack open the 1989 (Taylor’s Version) vault.]( By Justin Curto [Max Is Up at Bat for Live Sports A new add-on is coming to the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service.]( By Josef Adalian [Everything Russell Brand Has Been Dropped From Including his agency, his publisher, and a women’s charity.]( By Justin Curto [Rihanna, Rocky, and RZA Are Having a Riot In our first sighting of the new member of the Fenty Fam.]( By Jason P. Frank [Percy Jackson and the Olympians Is Happening, Thank Gods A teaser trailer is out now, as an offering on Percy’s birthday.]( By Bethy Squires [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Today’s Crossword]( 24-Across, Three Letters: “Yes” on Our Flag Means Death. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty, MAX A newsletter of TV and movie recommendations. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved