Merrily We Roll Along 1981 - Articles Page 9

This week THEATER TALK explores the touching drama behind the original 1981 Broadway production of the musical Merrily We Roll Along, and its swift closing after just two weeks, as told by two original cast members, Lonny Price and Abigail Pogrebin.

The producers of INDECENT - Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel's newest work, one of the most acclaimed plays of 2016 when it debuted in New York Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre following productions at Yale Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse - have announced that the production will begin performances on Broadway at the Cort Theatre (138 W 48th St New York, NY), on April 4, prior to its official opening night on April 18.  

When MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG opened on Broadway in 1981, no one anticipated that it would be a flop. With a score by Stephen Sondheim and direction by Hal Prince, it should have been the next success in a series of highly successful collaborations by the two kings of musical theatre, following such game changers as COMPANY, FOLLIES, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, PACIFIC OVERTURES, and SWEENEY TODD

The producers of Indecent - Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel's newest work, one of the most acclaimed plays of 2016 when it debuted in New York Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre following productions at Yale Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse - have announced that the production will begin performances on Broadway at the Cort Theatre (138 W 48th St New York, NY), on April 4, prior to its official opening night on April 18.

The latest Broadway version of the rarely performed Stephen Sondheim musical The Frogs, an hilarious send up of Greek comedy and satire, with a book revised and expanded by Nathan Lane, is to get its UK premiere in 2017 at Jermyn Street Theatre.

Tony and SAG Award winner Jason Alexander, who starred in the original Broadway cast of Merrily We Roll Along, will participate in a Q&A at one of the first Los Angeles public screenings of the new documentary, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened - a thrilling, behind-the-scenes look into the 'then' and 'now' of perhaps Stephen Sondheim's most beloved work, Merrily We Roll Along.

Just announced, Tony and SAG Award winner Jason Alexander, who starred in the original Broadway cast of Merrily We Roll Along, will participate in a Q&A at one of the first Los Angeles public screenings of the new documentary, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened - a thrilling, behind-the-scenes look into the 'then' and 'now' of perhaps Stephen Sondheim's most beloved work, Merrily We Roll Along.

Legendary American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim's masterwork Merrily We Roll Along is revisited in a new production under the direction of Tony Award nominee Michael Arden (Spring Awakening) set for the Bram Goldsmith Theater stage at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts from tonight, November 23, through December 18.

Atlas Media's Merrily We Roll Along documentary, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened - a thrilling, behind-the-scenes look at the 'then' and 'now' of perhaps Stephen Sondheim's most beloved work - scored in its first weekend of limited release on just two screens in New York City, with strong ticket sales at both NYC.

Two-time Tony winner Bernadette Peters will host a Q&A with director Lonny Price at one of the first public screenings of his new documentary, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened - a thrilling, behind-the-scenes look into the 'then' and 'now' of perhaps Stephen Sondheim's most beloved work, Merrily We Roll Along.

One of the truly legendary musicals in the history of Broadway, Merrily We Roll Along opened to enormous fanfare in 1981, and closed after sixteen performances. For the first time, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened  draws back the curtain on the extraordinary drama of the show's creation - and tells the stories of the hopeful young performers whose lives were transformed by it. Directed by Lonny Price, a member of the original cast, the film is a bittersweet meditation on the choices we all make, and the often unexpected consequences of those choices -- through success and failure. Featuring exclusive appearances by Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Jason Alexander, Mandy Patinkin, Adam Guettel, Frank Rich and the original Broadway cast of Merrily We Roll Along.  Below, Richard Ridge chats with Price about his journey with the musical, the creation of the documentary, and so much more!

Two-time Tony winner Bernadette Peters, a Broadway legend and one of Sondheim's most iconic leading ladies, will host a Q&A with director Lonny Price at one of the first public screenings of his new documentary, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened - a thrilling, behind-the-scenes look into the 'then' and 'now' of perhaps Stephen Sondheim's most beloved work, Merrily We Roll Along.

INDECENT - Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel's newest work, one of the most acclaimed plays of 2016 when it debuted in New York Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre - will premiere on Broadway at the Cort Theatre (138 W 48th St New York, NY), this spring.

INDECENT - Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel's newest work, one of the most acclaimed plays of 2016 when it debuted in New York Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre - will premiere on Broadway this spring.

Legendary American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim's masterwork Merrily We Roll Along is revisited in a new production under the direction of Tony Award nominee Michael Arden (Spring Awakening) set for the Bram Goldsmith Theater stage at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts from November 23 through December 18.

Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened is the must-see chronicle of Stephen Sondheim and Harold Prince's much ballyhooed reverse chronology musical Merrily We Roll Along which closed after just 16 performances in 1981 but gradually assumed legend status. This alternately heartbreaking and euphoric film focuses on the original cast members, then and now, and the special place this experience holds in their memories. The film just had its world premiere at the 54th New York Film Festival yesterday, October 9 at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall (1941 Broadway).  BroadwayWorld was there for the special night and you can check out photos from the red carpet below!

The 2015-16 Janet and Mark L. Goldenson Broadway Musical Concert Series at Rubicon Theatre Company concludes with a concert presentation of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG.

Lincoln Center Theater's new production of William Finn and James Lapine's Tony Award-winning musical Falsettos begins previews tonight, September 29, and runs for 14 weeks only at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48 Street). Opening night will be Thursday, October 27. Scroll down to learn more about the cast, plus watch the full company in rehearsal!

The 2015-16 Janet and Mark L. Goldenson Broadway Musical Concert Series at Rubicon Theatre Company concludes with a concert presentation of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG.

Atlas Media has just announced its upcoming feature-length documentary, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened -- a thrilling, behind-the-scenes look into the 'then' and 'now' of perhaps Stephen Sondheim's most beloved work, Merrily We Roll Along -- has been acquired for theatrical distribution by Abramorama, the industry's preeminent distributor of independent cinema. Check out the official trailer for the film below!

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston announces the cast & creative team for COMPANY, with Music and Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM and Book by GEORGE FURTH. Directed by Spiro Veloudos with music director Catherine Stornetta and choreography & musical staging by Rachel Bertone, COMPANY will run September 2 - October 9, 2016.

Lonny Price's 'Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened' is set to screen as part of the Special Events of the 54th New York Film Festival (September 30 - October 16).  Below, check out a clip from the documentary, in which Hal Prince and Stephen Sondheim discuss their new 'show about kids.'

Special Events will feature the world premiere of Lonny Price's Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened, a nonfiction account of Stephen Sondheim and Harold Prince's 1981 musical-flop-turned-cult-favorite Merrily We Roll Along, with Price and theater luminary Sondheim in person. Thirty-five years later in the world of musicals, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton is a Broadway sensation. Alex Horwitz's Hamilton's America goes behind the history of the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning production, and makes its world premiere at NYFF with the director and special guests to be announced.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center announces the Special Events section and “An Evening with…” honorees for the 54th New York Film Festival.

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston announces the cast & creative team for COMPANY, with Music and Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM and Book by GEORGE FURTH. Directed by Spiro Veloudos with music director Catherine Stornetta and choreography & musical staging by Rachel Bertone, COMPANY will run September 2 - October 9, 2016.