MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG's Final Week Was Highest Grossing Week Ever For A Sondheim Musical

Maria Friedman's Tony Award-winning Best Revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's masterwork MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG ended its historic run on Broadway on Sunday, July 7, 2024, once again shattering the Hudson Theatre box office record for the tenth and final time with a gross of $2,766,127.00, marking the highest grossing week ever for a Stephen Sondheim musical on Broadway.

The first-ever Broadway revival of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG played 312 performances and 20 previews to 100% audience capacity for the entirety of the 10-month, twice-extended, strictly limited Broadway engagement. The electric final performance also broke the single performance gross record at Broadway's Hudson Theatre with a gross of $509,894.00. The four-time Tony Award-winning production, which was the highest grossing show on Broadway the week ending June 30, 2024, recouped its $12 million capitalization in March 2024.

Starring Tony Award winner Daniel Radcliffe as Charley Kringas, Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff as Franklin Shepard, and Tony Award winner Lindsay Mendez as Mary Flynn, the production also featured Krystal Joy Brown as Gussie Carnegie, Katie Rose Clarke as Beth Shepard, and Reg Rogers as Joe Josephson. The final performance company included Max Rackenberg, Rocco Van Auken, Brady Wagner, Sherz Aletaha, Leana Rae Concepcion, Coby Getzug, Morgan Kirner, Corey Mach, David Scott Purdy, Talia Simone Robinson, Amanda Rose, Jamila Sabares-Klemm, Brian Sears, Brianna Stoute, Christian Strange, Koray Tarhan, Vishal Vaidya, Natalie Wachen and Jacob Keith Watson.

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG was directed by multi-Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee Maria Friedman, features music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a book by George Furth, and is based on the original play by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart.

Spanning three decades in the entertainment business, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong friends — writer Mary and lyricist & playwright Charley. An inventive cult-classic ahead of its time, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG features some of Stephen Sondheim's most celebrated and personal songs.

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG featured a design and creative team that includes Tim Jackson (choreography), Tony Award winner Jonathan Tunick (orchestrations), Soutra Gilmour (Scenic & Costume Design), Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting Design), Kai Harada (Sound Design), Cookie Jordan (Hair & Wig Design), Jim Carnahan, CSA (casting), Joel Fram (music direction and additional vocal arrangements), Catherine Jayes (music supervision), Alvin Hough Jr. (associate music supervision), Kristy Norter (music coordination).

Broadway's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG was produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani, Patrick Catullo, Jeff Romley, Debbie Bisno, Lang Entertainment Group, OHenry Productions, Winkler & Smalberg, Stephanie P. McClelland, Timothy Bloom, Creative Partners Productions, Eastern Standard Time, Fakston Productions, Marc David Levine, No Guarantees, Ted & Mary Jo Shen, Gilad Rogowsky, Playing Field, Key To The City Productions, Richard Batchelder / Trunfio Ryan, FineWomen Productions / Henry R. Muñoz III, Thomas Swayne / Lamar Richardson, Abrams Corr / Mary Maggio, Osh Ashruf / Brenner-Ivey, Craig Balsam / PBL Productions, deRoy DiMauro Productions / Andrew Diamond, Dodge Hall Productions / Carl Moellenberg, Friedman Simpson / Vernon Stuckelman, William Frisbie / J.J. Powell, Robert Greenblatt / Jonathan Littman, Katler-Solomon Productions / Medley Houlihan, Cleveland O'Neal III / Tom Tuft, Roth-Manella Productions / Seaview and New York Theatre Workshop. 

This production was originally produced at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2012 followed by a West End run produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, the Menier Chocolate Factory, and Neal Street Productions in 2013. It was later produced at New York Theatre Workshop in 2022.

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG was originally directed on Broadway by Harold Prince and originally produced on Broadway by Lord Grade, Martin Starger, Robert Fryer, and Harold Prince in association with Ruth Mitchell and Howard Haines.

The New Broadway Cast Recording of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG is now available on CD, vinyl and wherever you stream music. Produced by Sony Masterworks Broadway, Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani and Patrick Catullo David Caddick, David Lai, Joel Fram and Maria Friedman, the album was recorded and mixed by Ian Kagey at Berklee at PowerStationNYC and Renaissance Recording NY. The New Broadway Cast Recording includes new liner notes from Director and Album Producer Maria Friedman as well as former New York Times Chief Theater Critic, Ben Brantley.