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- Franklin Shepard Inc. is bringing itself to audiences around the world with a filmed version of the 2024 Tony-winning production of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along.
- The musical stars Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez as three “old friends.”
- Not a day goes by that we don’t wait in anticipation for the release of the show’s live capture.
Who’s like us? Damn few.
That’s true of the Tony-winning production Merrily We Roll Along, which explains why it’s getting a platform that few Broadway musicals do — a theatrical release.
The Stephen Sondheim musical, starring Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez, was filmed live during its 2024 stage run — and now, Sony Pictures, in collaboration with Fathom Entertainment is bringing the show to movie theaters.
On Wednesday, Sony and Fathom announced that the show will premiere in theaters on Dec. 5. Though Fathom Entertainment will often host National Theater Live broadcasts of London productions and live captures of operas from New York’s Metropolitan, this will mark a rare moment for a Broadway production in movie theaters.
Matthew Murphy
Hamilton was famously filmed live and intended for a theatrical release, but Disney ultimately released the show on Disney+ in 2020 during the thick of the pandemic lockdown.
Waitress and Frozen have also recently become available on streaming platforms, but in both cases, the London production was captured (as the London stage involves far less red tape when it comes to navigating the union rules between theater and film).
Originally a flop upon its 1981 Broadway debut, Merrily We Roll Along redefined itself (and its legacy) with Maria Friedman’s 2023-2024 Broadway production. With a score by Sondheim and a book by George Furth, the show follows three best friends — Franklin Shepard (Groff), Charley Kringas (Radcliffe), and Mary Flynn (Mendez) — in reverse, moving from the shattered pieces of their friendship in middle age backwards to their first meeting as young dreamers on a New York City rooftop.
Matthew Murphy
The production won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, as well as a Tony for Groff for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and one for Radcliffe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical.
Krystal Joy Brown, Katie Rose Clark and Reg Rogers also star.
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A feature film adaptation of Merrily We Roll Along is also in the works, though it will be years before it comes to theaters — Richard Linklater is directing the film, shooting it over nearly two decades as his actors — Beanie Feldstein, Ben Platt, and Paul Mescal — age.
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