‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Stars on the One Change to the Filmed Version and Making Each Other Crack Onstage
It’s been a moment since the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along” closed (in July 2024, to be precise), yet the stars of the Broadway hit have not forgotten one thing: Jonathan Groff is a menace.
“He’s the worst,” Lindsey Mendez emphasizes. To which Daniel Radcliffe agrees, “If he wasn’t so fantastic, he’d be a nightmare.”
The two are referring to Groff’s frequent habit of trying to make his co-stars break while on stage. Radcliffe specifically recalls moments during “really rough, emotional scenes” when Groff would turn upstage and crack a joke at him. “It was crazy,” Radcliffe continues. “Tickling me off stage before we’re supposed to come out. I’m listening for a cue that I have to try and make!”
Talking with his castmates, Groff can’t help but laugh. It’s been more than a year, but the trio from the Broadway hit have remained, yes, old friends. Though a famous flop upon its initial release in 1981, the show has gained appreciation over the years and found vindication by winning three Tony Awards in for the Maria Friedman-directed version. Now Friedman has brought that vision to movie theaters — opening today — with one of the most impressively filmic but intimate pro-shot recordings to ever grace screens.
The filmed musical gives the trio an opportunity to reunite, at least for press purposes. The show follows their characters’ relationships as friends over three decades, with scenes unfolding in reverse chronological order. Groff stars at Franklin Shepard, a brilliant composer who has become a wildly successful movie producer. Radcliffe plays his creative partner, lyricist and playwright Charley Kringas, who gets left behind as his friend rockets to success and finds a shallower crowd. Mendez plays critic Mary Flynn, the close friend who has long harbored feelings for Frank.
“The play’s success hinges entirely on the stars’ chemistry, which was evident from their very first meeting. Though Groff and Mendez already knew each other, she jokes, “I’d never even heard of Daniel Radcliffe.” But, she adds, “We forced the friendship on him. And luckily, he bit.” Radcliffe was determined to impress his new friends – he recalls being on a text chain with them where they kept sending videos back and forth. “I think I started initially taking notes on their videos,” Radcliffe admits with a laugh. “I was like, ‘I’ve gotta remember everything they say so I can respond to all the points they have made!’”So the cast is thrilled that now the play has been shot for film, where it will be preserved and reach an even larger audience. Groff admits that “when we were talking about filming it initially, it was to sit alongside the VHS of ‘Into the Woods’ and ‘Sunday in the Park With George’ that I grew up watching.” But what Friedman has pulled off “has exceeded all of our expectations.”
Shot over the course of three performances (additional footage was captured one day prior to a show), Friedman referred to it as “Merrily, Close Up.” Says Radcliffe, “I think she was really excited by the prospect of getting in there and seeing the detail that you would probably miss if you were at the back of the house.” Groff adds, “It’s like a hybrid between a stage show and a film. And I never would’ve anticipated that it would be so nuanced and special in that way. It’s totally unique. I think it stands on its own as a work of art.”
As for any overt changes from the Broadway show, there is really only one. The first shoot occurred the day after the 2024 Tony Awards where Groff and Radcliffe took home awards and the play won best revival. “We did the show we were used to doing and the cameras happened to be there,” Mendez reveals. Groff mentions his character in the show winning a Tony Award and the audience went absolutely insane. “For like 10 minutes,” Mendez reveals. Laughs Radcliff, “It full stopped the show at that point. So that had to be trimmed out.”
“He’s the worst,” Lindsey Mendez emphasizes. To which Daniel Radcliffe agrees, “If he wasn’t so fantastic, he’d be a nightmare.”
The two are referring to Groff’s frequent habit of trying to make his co-stars break while on stage. Radcliffe specifically recalls moments during “really rough, emotional scenes” when Groff would turn upstage and crack a joke at him. “It was crazy,” Radcliffe continues. “Tickling me off stage before we’re supposed to come out. I’m listening for a cue that I have to try and make!”
Talking with his castmates, Groff can’t help but laugh. It’s been more than a year, but the trio from the Broadway hit have remained, yes, old friends. Though a famous flop upon its initial release in 1981, the show has gained appreciation over the years and found vindication by winning three Tony Awards in for the Maria Friedman-directed version. Now Friedman has brought that vision to movie theaters — opening today — with one of the most impressively filmic but intimate pro-shot recordings to ever grace screens.
The filmed musical gives the trio an opportunity to reunite, at least for press purposes. The show follows their characters’ relationships as friends over three decades, with scenes unfolding in reverse chronological order. Groff stars at Franklin Shepard, a brilliant composer who has become a wildly successful movie producer. Radcliffe plays his creative partner, lyricist and playwright Charley Kringas, who gets left behind as his friend rockets to success and finds a shallower crowd. Mendez plays critic Mary Flynn, the close friend who has long harbored feelings for Frank.
“The play’s success hinges entirely on the stars’ chemistry, which was evident from their very first meeting. Though Groff and Mendez already knew each other, she jokes, “I’d never even heard of Daniel Radcliffe.” But, she adds, “We forced the friendship on him. And luckily, he bit.” Radcliffe was determined to impress his new friends – he recalls being on a text chain with them where they kept sending videos back and forth. “I think I started initially taking notes on their videos,” Radcliffe admits with a laugh. “I was like, ‘I’ve gotta remember everything they say so I can respond to all the points they have made!’”So the cast is thrilled that now the play has been shot for film, where it will be preserved and reach an even larger audience. Groff admits that “when we were talking about filming it initially, it was to sit alongside the VHS of ‘Into the Woods’ and ‘Sunday in the Park With George’ that I grew up watching.” But what Friedman has pulled off “has exceeded all of our expectations.”
Shot over the course of three performances (additional footage was captured one day prior to a show), Friedman referred to it as “Merrily, Close Up.” Says Radcliffe, “I think she was really excited by the prospect of getting in there and seeing the detail that you would probably miss if you were at the back of the house.” Groff adds, “It’s like a hybrid between a stage show and a film. And I never would’ve anticipated that it would be so nuanced and special in that way. It’s totally unique. I think it stands on its own as a work of art.”
As for any overt changes from the Broadway show, there is really only one. The first shoot occurred the day after the 2024 Tony Awards where Groff and Radcliffe took home awards and the play won best revival. “We did the show we were used to doing and the cameras happened to be there,” Mendez reveals. Groff mentions his character in the show winning a Tony Award and the audience went absolutely insane. “For like 10 minutes,” Mendez reveals. Laughs Radcliff, “It full stopped the show at that point. So that had to be trimmed out.”