Tony Award-winning musical Merrily We Roll Along to release at CGV

The musical film Merrily We Roll Along, starring Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez, will have an exclusive release at CGV on October 28. While the original 1981 production closed after only 16 performances, this version won four Tony Awards in 2024.

Three actors who captivated Broadway are bringing their Tony Award-winning stage to domestic screens. The musical film 'Merrily We Roll Along,' starring Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez, will have its exclusive release at CGV on October 28, distributed in Korea by WYS EN SCÈNE. This is an opportunity to experience the Broadway stage on a large cinema screen, featuring the music of musical maestro Stephen Sondheim, direction by Maria Friedman, and the brilliant chemistry of the three actors.

A work that lasted only 16 performances in 1981; a 4-time Tony Award winner in 2024

The story of 'Merrily We Roll Along' involves a dramatic reversal as striking as the work itself. During its Broadway premiere in 1981, the production closed after only 16 official performances, but Sondheim's music and the story exploring dreams, friendship, and choices remained in the hearts of creators and audiences for a long time. Having rediscovered its value through continuous new interpretations and revisions, 'Merrily We Roll Along' has reached another turning point under the direction of Maria Friedman.

This production, which opened on Broadway in 2023, was a commercial success, receiving enthusiastic responses from both critics and audiences. It went on to win four Tony Awards in 2024, including Best Revival Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical, and Best Orchestrations. The work, once remembered as a commercial failure, has returned 40 years later as a major hit representing Broadway.

Jonathan Groff × Daniel Radcliffe × Lindsay Mendez: Why you cannot miss this stage

The powerful draw of this work is the meeting of the three lead actors. Jonathan Groff, who won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for this role, plays the composer Franklin Shepard, who pursues success. Daniel Radcliffe, who won the award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, plays Charley, his long-time creative partner and friend. Lindsay Mendez joins them as Mary, a writer and friend to the two, vividly completing the relationship of the three friends as they laugh, argue, and drift apart.

In particular, 'Franklin Shepard, Inc.,' performed by Daniel Radcliffe, is a standout scene. This number, where accumulated frustrations and disappointments toward a friend pour out breathlessly, creates both laughter and tension through its sophisticated lyrics and explosive acting. Combined with Jonathan Groff's delicate emotional expression and Lindsay Mendez's humor and deep lingering resonance, the temperature of the relationship shifts with every moment the three actors share.

What remains after achieving success? A story that begins with broken friendship

'Merrily We Roll Along' follows the relationship between Franklin, a successful composer and film producer, and his long-time friends Charley and Mary. However, the story moves toward the past rather than the future. Starting from the moment the friendship of the three collapses, the narrative travels back in time to their youth, when they believed anything was possible as long as they were together.

Facing the beginning while knowing the end makes it more poignant. It reveals how the friends, who once exchanged sharp words, were once each other's strongest supporters, and how much expectation and excitement existed at the starting point of their drifting relationship. As the story moves into the past, the brightening images of the characters leave an even deeper resonance in the hearts of the audience.

“While achieving our dreams, what did we lose?” The question posed by the work extends to the audience outside the stage. From friends who once discussed the future together to promises postponed in busy daily lives and the moment they first embraced their dreams, the story of the three individuals inevitably overlaps with the memories of each audience member.

Moments when the same melody sounds different: Why Sondheim's music lingers

The music of Stephen Sondheim, who left behind numerous masterpieces such as 'Sweeney Todd,' 'Company,' and 'Into the Woods,' is another protagonist leading this special time travel. While offering laughter with witty lyrics and cheerful rhythms, the music also pierces the heart by bringing out emotions the characters could not voice.

Representative numbers such as 'Old Friends' and 'Not a Day Goes By' approach with new emotions each time the relationship of the three friends and the passage of time change. In particular, 'Not a Day Goes By' is repeated from different perspectives, showing how the same lyrics can hold different meanings. For an audience that already knows their future, the song of love and promises leaves an even more complex and poignant resonance.

Maria Friedman's direction closely connects the power of this music with the relationships of the three characters. Through the changing tones, gazes, and expressions as they look at one another while traveling back in time, the audience discovers both the cracks in their friendship and the dazzling moments that preceded them.

The Broadway stage, closer on the screen

This film captures the vividness of the entire stage along with the detailed facial expressions and emotional changes of the actors. The experience of closely following the characters' hearts—from the brief glances exchanged between the three actors to the hesitations between songs—deepens the emotion of the work. The ability to experience Sondheim's music and the passionate performances of the three actors through a large screen and theater sound is also an unmissable charm.

'Merrily We Roll Along,' which will prompt audiences to recall their own "firsts" by traveling back through the time of dreams and friendship from a moment when everything ended to a moment when everything was possible, will be screened exclusively at major CGV theaters nationwide starting October 28.

WYS EN SCÈNE is a professional performing arts video production and distribution company that provides one-stop services for planning, producing, and distributing live films based on performing arts such as musicals, ballet, and concerts. The company produces live films of various stages including musicals, ballet, and concerts, and is creating new performing arts experiences that break the boundaries between art and technology, performance and video, and stage and audience by expanding into OTT and new technology video content.

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