After breaking my own rules last week on Friday, this week I’m doing it on Saturday – no bookshops to show you this week, and I’m anticipating a Christmas Books incoming next week but I wanted to do this musical recommendation this week because it’s in cinemas this month and there are still some screenings out there. The National Theatre has NT Live, but it’s pretty rare that we get filmed versions of Broadway musicals and so when you get one it’s important to support it so that we get more!
This is the filmed version of last year’s Broadway revival of Merrily We Roll Along, a musical that was a legendary flop in its first incarnation, but which in this new incarnation won a clutch of Tony Awards and now hits the big screen for those of us who couldn’t make it to New York (or face the steep ticket prices). Merrily tells the story – in reverse – of the friendship between Franklin Shepherd, Charley Kringas and Mary Flynn. It opens on a party in LA in 1977 and ends with the first time the three meet on a rooftop in New York in 1957. Jonathan Groff is Frank, Daniel Radcliffe is Charley and Lindsay Mendez (about seven months pregnant at the point this was filmed!) is Mary.
This is actually based on the Maria Friedman production that I saw back in the West End in 2013 and which was also filmed, which may explain why Maria Friedman in directing this version has chosen to go for mostly close up shots of the actors. I know this has been divisive for some, but for me it was one of the most successful filmed theatre performances that I’ve seen. Often in recordings like this, performances can seem to theatrical for the camera, but the three leads in this were amazing. Being able to see actual tears in Jonathan Groff’s eyes at various points and Daniel Rafcliffe’s hands shaking with rage at the end of Franklin Shepherd, Inc. I had the trumpet fanfare stuck in my head for days, alternating with Our Time. It’s heartbreaking by the end to watch them all so full of promise and hope, knowing how it finishes.
I know Sondheim can be an acquired taste – I hated my first encounter with him (touring Sweeney Todd with Jason Donovan as Sweeney, Harriet Thorpe as Mrs Lovett and the actors playing their own instruments) and nearly swore off him completely but started to change my mind when I saw Sunday in the Park with George about a year later. Since then I’ve seen about half of his musicals live – most recently Frogs and Here We Are – and I think this is one of the easier sells of the catalogue – everyone has had a friendship that has had ups and downs, the performances are great, there are some classic songs in there and it’s not too abstract. It’s been days and I’m still humming Not a Day Goes By, Old Friend and Our Time.
This is in cinemas at the moment, but rumours are that it’s going to end up on a streaming service, possibly the one with a red letter logo. And if it does turn up on a streaming service, it’s included with your subscription so the barrier to entry is low. Go on, give it a go.
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