Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe’s ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ to be released on screen
Merrily We Roll Along was revived on Broadway in 2023, going on to win four Tony Awards, including wins for Radcliffe and Groff
By Gary Grimes
Rejoice, theatre lovers around the world – a filmed version of the hit Broadway show Merrily We Roll Along is on the horizon.
It was announced yesterday that Sony Pictures Classics had acquired the filmed version of the Tony-award winning show which featured a stellar cast of Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez.
It is not yet clear if the filmed version will be released in cinemas or sold to a streamer, as what happened with other recent Broadway hits such as Hamilton and Waitress which are available to stream via Disney+ and Apple TV, respectively.
Merrily We Roll Along was written by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, and features Sondheim classics like ‘Old Friends’ and ‘Franklin Shepard Inc.’ First performed in 1981 to poor critical and commercial reception, the show was revived on Broadway by director Maria Friedman in 2023.
Friedman has also directed the filmed version.
“Merrily We Roll Along is unlike anything we’ve seen before,” Sony Pictures Classics said in a statement. “With precise editing and a knowing camera that moves from closeup to sweeping gesture, Maria Friedman not only establishes herself as a formidable filmmaker but she more than preserves the seminal performances of Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez in creating with them an even greater goosebump experience for the audience than ever.”
“[Sondheim] would be overjoyed that Sony Pictures Classics, is our partner in bringing this production of Merrily We Roll Along to the world” – the Stephen Sondheim Trust
“As a film history maven, Steve would be overjoyed that Sony Pictures Classics, the home of countless brilliant, auteur-driven independent films, is our partner in bringing this production of Merrily We Roll Along to the world,” Rick Pappas of the Stephen Sondheim Trust commented.
“The success of Maria’s film derives in large measure from her lifelong friendship and collaboration with Steve on so many of his shows, not least playing Mary in a 1992 production of Merrily that Sondheim and Furth rebuilt on her, which led to her stage directing debut of this revival in London with him by her side in 2012.”
The plot of Merrily We Roll Along takes place over multiple decades. A film adaptation of the musical is also currently in production starring Beanie Feldstein, Ben Platt and Paul Mescal.