Merrily We Roll Along (2025)

The story of three friends: a composer (Jonathan Groff), a lyricist (Daniel Radcliffe) and a writer (Lindsay Mendez). The film begins in 1977 where the characters are at the lowest point in their lives and goes back in reverse order through the years ending in 1957 when they are their most hopeful about the future. Based on the 1981 musical by Stephen Sondheim by way of the 1934 play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart and directed by Maria Friedman. The 1981 musical was a flop receiving negative reviews and closing after 16 performances. Throughout the ensuing years, the musical has been fine tuned with rewrites on the narrative and songs being jettisoned and new ones replacing them. The movie which received a limited release last Christmas in theatres is a film of the highly praised Tony award winning 2023 revival with the original Broadway cast. Friedman filmed it in intense closeups and her stringent direction gives the musical a strong pulse that thrusts it ever forward. Groff (who won a Tony for his work here) gives an aggressive performance that is the linchpin of the show. A must for fans of musical theatre. Richard Linklater is currently filming a film version due to be released around 2039 (sic). Like his BOYHOOD, rather than age his actors, he's filming it in real time so that they are the age they are playing. With Krystal Joy Brown, Katie Rose Clarke and Reg Rogers.