Review of Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway

When they had announced this cast was spearheading Merrily We Roll Along at the New York Theatre Workshop originally, I seriously debated buying a ticket before they came out. I was willing to haul myself all the way to New York City just to see these three unleash it all on stage, but then the tickets, if I recall correctly, all were straight up sold out in the middle of the presale. But deep down, I had a hunch this was transferring to Broadway, and I was right.

So I bought a ticket for the first round, before it extended twice. I managed to nab a balcony seat for $75, in Row E 9, and I thought the view was perfect.

The Hudson Theatre is really small, and I previously sat in the orchestra for Death of a Salesman (when Wendell Pierce remarkably spat on me in the final scenes, as he’s running down the aisles, screaming his final monologue).

I thought this view was very good as well, obviously it’s not orchestra level, but I was pleasantly surprised for how little I paid. These Merrily tickets are pricy.

Let’s get into my review!

The story of three friends and the death of their friendship, told in reverse.

Originally, the structure of this musical is what majorly threw people off. Merrily didn’t do well when Sondheim debuted it because of how it starts with the ending—the final death of Mary, Charley, and Frank’s friendship. It slowly progresses back from that point, almost in a vignette style that reminded me of Company, showing the cracks in the relationship that formed. The one thing, as someone going in somewhat blind, that I didn’t expect was the humor.

I was laughing out loud with these performances, especially Daniel Radcliffe’s. Radcliffe was the standout of the three I saw (Mendez was out, so I had her understudy). Groff plays his role very subdued in the beginning, but as he’s younger we start seeing the character in his full emotional spectrum.

The way they ended this play is brilliant too—we see a major crack in Groff’s character then. I won’t go into detail for spoilers, but it was one of those moments the audience visibly reacted. There were a lot of those moments throughout people were going “No,” like when Betty tells Mary that she only dates men she trusts.

One of the most incredible parts to me was the sheer difficulty in how writing this script must’ve been. There are moments from the early portion of the show (so the later timeline) that we learn the origins of in the latter half (in their early lives).

These subtle references and repetitions are really difficult to pack into something told in reverse, and once you find out the origins of something they said, it can be a mind blowing moment.

One of the more obvious moments like this is “Not a Day Goes By.” Originally sung to be a bitter piece against Frank, just Beth singing, we learn later that the reprise originally was them singing it on their wedding vows. That’s a heavy hitting revelation for me.

I think my one and only critique of this show right now is the character of Mary. I got the sense early on that she was the latest addition to the trio, and that is confirmed later in the show.

But to me, she kind of stands out because she exists to pine after Frank, and there isn’t really much of an arc to her (we learn the moment she starts drinking in another scene in the show, and guess what? It’s because of Frank).

I want a female character who was just as well rounded as the other two, but the show fails to deliver on that.

Overall Thoughts

This is a must-see production for me. I thought, despite some flaws, the show was fabulous and worth the money I had spent. They really need a professional shoot of this one—it’s definitely one of the best productions I have seen on Broadway in the past two years.

I can’t vouch for Mendez (I’m sure she’s fabulous), but Radcliffe and Groff were fantastic. The ensemble, too, I was very impressed by.

The one thing I also didn’t like, if you’re planning to see someone, is they did not announce that Mendez was out until the show started. No understudy slips were put into the playbills.

There were a lot of gasps and groans (maybe I had a dramatic audience?) when they announced Mary Flynn was being played by the understudy. She was good though! I wouldn’t walk out just because of that.

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