(l to r) Maria Friedman, Tim Jackson and Daniel Radcliffe (Photo composite: New York Theatre Workshop)
The Sondheim renaissance continues (Company is currently playing on Broadway, and Classic Stage Company just concluded its production of Assassins) with an exciting announcement from New York Theatre Workshop. The award-winning Off-Broadway theater company will revive the composer-lyricist’s most-famous flop, Merrily We Roll Along, starring Daniel Radcliffe.
But what failed to impress critics and audiences in 1981 has become a cult favorite, with several revivals popping up over the years, including a stunning production helmed by Menier Chocolate Factory and directed by Olivier Award-winning Maria Friedman. The show subsequently transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre to critical acclaim—the most five-star reviews in West End history—winning the Olivier Award for Best Musical.
Friedman returns to direct the NYTW revival, with choreography by Tim Jackson.
Spanning three decades in the entertainment business, Merrily We Roll Along charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong friends — writer Mary and lyricist & playwright Charley. An inventive, cult-classic ahead of its time, Merrily We Roll Along features some of Stephen Sondheim’s most celebrated and personal songs.
