Critic Reviews

Groff and Radcliffe are great in two very different roles (each won a Tony last year for their performances) but there really isn’t a weak link in the cast, and the music is grand.

This is filmed theater in the purest sense.

You can wait around and hope, but it’s difficult to believe that this rediscovered Sondheim classic with Grof, Mendez and Radcliffe will ever have a more feeling and vital performance than this one. And hey Harry Potter, you can really sing.

If you don’t like musical theater, you’re not going to like Merrily We Roll Along. If you’re a musical theater fan, Merrily is a must-see.

This version of Merrily We Roll Along doesn’t fix every flaw in the material, but it doesn’t need to. What it does instead is honor how difficult, tender, and painfully human this story has always been, giving it the kind of intimacy that a lot of pro-shots never quite reach. For a musical that was once called a massive flop, it’s got a pretty satisfying second life — and one that’s very easy to roll along with.

Despite one wonky misstep, it captures some real magic.

At times it’s as if you’re onstage with the cast. And yet that simple approach, in confident hands, reflects the magic that only cameras and cutting can do: collapse distance and time into a special intimacy, letting strong actors with expert-level songs be the greatest of special effects.

It’s the trio that gives this story liftoff, thanks to spectacular performances from Groff, Radcliffe and Mendez as friends who have seen each other through their best and worst moments.

Director Maria Friedman has brought her landmark Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's most notorious flop to the screen that, in several key ways, actually improves on her heralded staging. The much-awarded performances of Radcliffe, Groff and Mendez shine even brighter on the big screen.

As the record of a landmark staging of a great play, however, this Merrily feels like a gift to all those who wish they could have been there, or want to return.