NEW YORK — On opening night of the revival of “Merrily We Roll Along” on Broadway, one person in the audience was oddly not nervous — it was the director.
“It was the only time in my life I felt totally at peace with myself”, said Maria Friedman, who has led the show to seven Tony Award nominations for three lead roles and direction.
“When you direct something or act in something, there’s always a crazy surge of adrenaline. That happened to me, too, but I had a calm feeling that no matter what, this was the show I wanted to see. That’s how I wanted to see it.”
The Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical “Merrily We Roll Along,” which flopped when it appeared on Broadway in 1981, has been given a stunning new life under Friedman’s direction.
“This show has been one of the most special experiences of my professional career,” said Daniel Radcliffe, who co-stars with Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez. “To be nominated for this and for all three of us to be nominated — and the show and Maria, our director — it’s really lovely.”
In many ways Friedman was the best person to direct a new version. Her friendship with Sondheim spanned 40 years, with her starring in a British production of the show in 1992 and directing a version at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2012.
“It’s in my bones. It’s with me. It’ll always be with me,” she said. “I always feel grateful that it came to me.”
The show goes back in time from 1976 to 1957 as it examines the friendship of three artists, Franklin, Charlie and Mary. It begins with grief, a broken marriage and hurt feelings, only to end with hope, making it a bitter-sweet story about youth and dreams and how we all get derailed eventually.
The current Broadway revival is tied to the 1992 production, with Sondheim and Furth offering rewrites and changes. Years later, Friedman took on the role of Mary, initially thinking it was naturally about Mary.
“So when I read the script and was asked to direct it, I thought, well, who knew? Everything was leading to Frank,” he said. “We created a thread that went throughout, which is that he’s a beautiful leaf blowing in the wind, looking for an anchor.”
Sondheim and Friedman bonded. She dived into his material for “Maria Friedman: By Special Arrangement,” her Sondheim-heavy one-woman show, and then played Dot in Sondheim’s “Passion” and in the British premiere of “Sunday in the Park With George.”
“The great thing about Steve was that he was a most curious person. Like most talented people I’ve met, he never lost interest in anything that was in front of him,” he said.
“I care as much about whether I’m going to have a cup of tea or a cup of coffee as I do about doing a great job. My passion, my enthusiasm, my curiosity about life runs through my veins. I’m either asleep or I’m awake.”
When Friedman talked to Sondheim about reshooting “Merrily We Roll Along,” she said she wanted to do it for him. “He said, ‘Don’t do it for me. Do it for you.’ That was it,” she recalled.
Sondheim did not want to talk about it or explain his work. He promised that once Friedman had established her vision, he would watch late rehearsals or early previews, and only then would they talk. “He wanted his work to be interpreted. He was completely collaborative,” she said.
When he arrived, they talked about the opening number of Act 2, and she suggested he change a lyric in “Growing Up” — he had written “Folding Tents” and she suggested “Letting Go,” to make it sound more colloquial. Sondheim checked with academics and the lyric change was approved.
Although he saw the production several times in London, Sondheim died before the Broadway revival, which was a critical and financial success, opened. He knew Radcliffe and perhaps Groff were involved.
“As you can imagine my heart is full. I mean, really full. And there’s a bit of a rift in it because my dear Steve wasn’t there to see the commercial success.”
Broadway is going through a Sondheim renaissance these days, with “Sweeney Todd” led by Josh Groban set to be released a year after the stellar run of “Into the Woods” in 2022. “Gypsy” with Audra McDonald is set to be released later this year, and Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga will stage a musical revue of Sondheim songs next year.
Friedman is most pleased that his “Merrily We Roll Along” — a favorite to win best revival at the Tony Awards ceremony on June 16 — is now restored.
“The loveliest thing is that it’s now in the league of great songs, like ‘Sweeney’, ‘Sunday in the Park with George’. ‘Merrily’ is being talked about like it’s the greatest song of all time. For some people it’s because it’s got a lot of heart. It’s got a lot of heart.”
Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
,
More information about the Tony Awards: /hub/tony-awards
This article is generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
