Merrily We Roll Along Tickets
About Merrily We Roll Along
Stephen Sondheim is known for his tricky lyrics, melodic prowess, and unrivaled success. One outlier in Sondheim’s successful catalog is his 1981 musical Merrily We Roll Along, which famously closed on Broadway after just 16 post-preview performances. However, none of that has stopped the musical from finding success later on.
The show highlights 20 years of friendship between a trio of pals, focusing on one friend in particular: Franklin Shepard. Franklin leaves his friends at the top of the show to be a big-time Hollywood producer, and the show continues backward in time, ending 20 years in the past when the friends are still children.
The Chicago Tribune praised the production, saying, “This is the kind of show where the audience soaks up all the young talent, forgives any rough edges, and appreciates that this is the kind of crew capable of rejuvenating the city’s storefront theater scene just when it needs them the most."
Run time
2h 30m (incl. intermission)
Start date
June 23rd, 2023
End date
July 23rd, 2023
Categories
Venue
More information about Merrily We Roll Along
Despite its initial difficulties, Merrily We Roll Along continues to, well, roll along. After undergoing significant rewrites, it has had several revivals. The 2000 revival on the West End even received an Olivier Award for Best New Musical. The 2023 Off-Broadway production, starring Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez, will transfer to Broadway this fall.
Sondheim loosely based the musical on George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s 1934 play Merrily We Roll Along. Though the original play differs significantly from the musical, its inspiration largely derives from moving backward as the show progresses.
Blank Theatre Company, founded by co-artistic directors Dustin Rothbart and Danny Kapinos in 2017, aims to bring newcomers and veterans together to produce work that changes how audiences receive a piece – including longstanding theatrical classics. Besides producing full-length shows, Blank Theatre Company has one-night cabaret nights throughout the year.
What to Watch For
- Merrily We Roll Along was a reunion for Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, and George Furth, who worked on Company together. Merrily We Roll Along even premiered at Broadway’s Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre), where Company had premiered in 1970.
- Although the original production closed prematurely, it won Outstanding Lyrics in the Drama Desk Awards in 1982. Since then, Merrily We Roll Along productions have won several awards, including Olivier Awards and Outer Critics Circle Awards.
- The show was originally intended to be performed entirely by young adults and teenagers. The point was to demonstrate irony as they traveled back in time from middle age to their youth again.
- Blank Theatre Company co-founder and co-artistic director Dustin Rothbart plays the role of Charley Kringas. Some of Rothbart’s previous credits with Blank include The Chairman in The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Georg in Spring Awakening.
Tickets
Unfortunately, tickets for this event are no longer available.
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