CRITIC’S PICK: “Maria Friedman’s unsparing direction and a thrillingly fierce central performance by Jonathan Groff have given the show the hard shell it lacked. Now heartbreaking in the poignant sense only, ‘Merrily’ has been found in the dark.”
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“Friedman’s production meets the audience halfway, and a Broadway audience today just might be able to make up the difference as it couldn’t in 1981. Cross your fingers: It might finally be ’Merrily’s’ time.”
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“You’re going to want to preserve the riches flowing throughout this hurts-so-good musical about growing up and growing apart.”
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“A central trio as sensitive and superb as this one doesn’t just make ’Merrily’ more moving; it makes it much more fun. It even adds a faint glimmer of something resembling hope...With their irresistible energy and chemistry, Mendez, Groff, and Radcliffe lift ’Merrily’ up, yet keep it grounded with real, apparent affection and emotional heft. They are the ones reviving the play, by revealing and jump-starting its heart.”
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“The production shines a bright and welcome spotlight on a Sondheim score that has long been cherished by aficionados of his work...With this Broadway revival, sure to be the hottest ticket of the fall season, and perhaps the spring, too, Ms. Friedman and her cast and collaborators have ensured that Sondheim’s achievement will garner the wider popular appreciation it deserves.”
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“Not that this new production of ’Merrily’ completely fills in and smoothes out the musical’s legendary potholes, but it certainly helps us step around them without too much effort or frustration. You’d be hard-pressed to imagine a better ’Merrily We Roll Along’.”
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“What makes the musical hard for first-time audiences is the fact that it’s like a jigsaw puzzle doled out one piece at a time, so you don’t see a complete picture until the last piece is placed and the show is over...That’s why ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ is art and not comfortably commercial theater.”
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“Ideally, this Broadway incarnation will be both a hit and a reflection of the higher aspirations of musical theater. It’s even tighter, funnier and more touching than what Friedman staged off-Broadway. So much ingenuity. So much joyful creativity. So much for audiences to savor.”
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