Sometime in 1981, I saw one of the 16 performances of “Merrily We Roll Along,” Stephen Sondheim’s flop musical.
Its music was good, but its story didn’t make sense. Told in reverse, it featured what seemed like countless characters, each wearing a sweatshirt with some kind of identifier so you could understand who was who. It didn’t work.
In the intervening years, others have tried to fix the problems and had marginal success. More recently, director Maria Friedman took a shot at it and, with Sondheim’s blessing, found a way in.
Her version worked in London and now, in New York, gets a victory lap. The revised “Merrily” is a dream show, still told in reverse, but solid from finish to start.
Jonathan Groff stars as Franklin Shepard, a successful songwriter and producer who’s hardly happy with the spoils of his success. His former best friend – and writing partner – doesn’t talk to him; their friend, Mary, is an acerbic critic with a drinking problem.
As the story continues, we learn what led to Frank and Charley (Daniel Radcliffe) fighting and why Mary (Lindsay Mendez) started drinking.
Friedman makes sure each period doesn’t rely on info we got in another one. That makes it seem like a series of one-acts which add up to a whole. The actors also approach each time period with new eyes. Groff, in particular, isolates the moments and, ultimately, makes you want better for Frank. Radcliffe makes you feel the loss of friendship. He soars with “Franklin Shepard Inc.,” his fast-talking take on Frank’s transformation. Mendez, however, is the show’s real glue. She cuts through the drama, sizes up the situations and emerges as the one true friend.
When Friedman gets to the starting point – when the three were beginning their careers – “Merrily” is so filled with hope, regret, love and anger it’s impossible to get through the closing song without tears.
Interestingly, the show unfolds on a fairly bare set. It doubles as mansions and first apartments, a Broadway stage and a Hollywood home. The real drama comes from the supporting characters (at one point called “The Blob”) who float in and out of the trio’s shared lives.
They reflect the time periods nicely (wait until you see the ‘60s of “Bobby and Jackie and Jack”) and show how circumstances can change everything.
The songs – “Not a Day Goes By,” “Our Time” and “Opening Doors” – perfectly capture what Friedman has done. The reverse format works beautifully and makes the story seem richer. Its actors, however, are the secret sauce. Groff, Radcliffe and Mendez work so effortlessly together it seems like they lived it.
All three are nominated for Tony Awards; all three should win. This is such a well-oiled machine none of its predecessors’ rust shows.
With a perfect formula, it should give other actors a chance to show how they, too, can make a 20-year relationship twist and turn despite its cracks.
Sondheim had a good thing going. He just needed Friedman to find the right path.
“Merrily We Roll Along” is at the Hudson Theatre in New York through July 7.
