While Richard Linklater’s ambitious adaptation of Merrily We Roll Along is still two decades away, fans can at least enjoy a wonderfully filmed version of the 2023 Broadway revival. Featuring a star-studded cast of Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez, the unique musical is charmingly performed. Now available to own at home, the Merrily We Roll Along Blu-ray allows fans to rewatch Maria Friedman’s revival any time they want.
“Spanning two decades, Merrily We Roll Along traces the complex, often heartbreaking unravelling of a once-unbreakable friendship between composer Franklin Shepard (Jonathan Groff) and his two closest friends playwright-lyricist Charley (Daniel Radcliffe) and writer Mary (Lindsay Mendez) . But this is no ordinary story. Told in reverse, the film winds backwards through time, beginning in fractured adulthood and journeying back to the bright-eyed optimism of youth when everything still seemed possible. Long considered a cult classic ahead of its time, Merrily We Roll Along features some of Stephen Sondheim’s most personal and piercing songs. Now, in a bold new cinematic interpretation of the Tony Award-winning musical, the film invites audiences into the heart of the story not just watching it unfold but inhabiting it. Shot with intimacy and immediacy, it places viewers on stage and inside the action, offering a deeply immersive experience that reveals the emotional truth of the piece in a way no theatre seat ever could,” says the official description.
The core conceit of Merrily We Roll Along is that it’s told in reverse. The film begins with a celebration of a hit film release that soon turns sour after a fractured friendship is brought up. The film is then a series of flashbacks, with a story of ambitious artists coming together and then falling apart due to the business side of the industry and personal shortcomings. However, due to its reverse nature, it winds up ending at a happy, inspiring note rather than the bummer it’d be if told chronologically.
I saw the filmed version in theaters last year, and thankfully, it holds up on rewatch. All three of the leads are stellar, with Radcliffe really shining when performing “Franklin Shepard, Inc.” Groff’s transformation over the course of the story is also great to see, as his wide-eyed optimism at the end is a far cry from what we see in the beginning. The Merrily We Roll Along Blu-ray does these performances justice as the proshot has great detail and sounds incredible with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track.
The only bummer about the Merrily We Roll Along Blu-ray is the sparse bonus features. All that is there is a theatrical trailer. A commentary track with the cast would’ve been great, especially with how charming they all are, but nothing additional is included.
Merrily We Roll Along Blu-ray Review: Final Verdict
The Merrily We Roll Along Blu-ray is a great way to enjoy the Broadway musical at home. Looking great and sounding even better, the filmed version of the stage production is charming and filled with catchy songs. The performances of Radcliffe and Groff really stand out, and it will be fun to compare them to the Linklater film in … well, 20 years or so.
Disclosure: ComingSoon received product from the distributor for our Merrily We Roll Along Blu-ray review.