Merrily We Roll Along Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Merrily We Roll Along Blu-ray Movie Review

From Broadway to your living room.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 25, 2026

The Broadway production Merrily We Roll Along has had a long and turbulent history since 1934, when George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's original play opened to decent reviews but was considered a financial failure and basically abandoned until Stephen Sondheim rebuilt it as a full-fledged musical in 1981. Collaborating with former actor George Furth (who had already worked with Sondheim on Company in 1970 and again on 1996's Getting Away with Murder), the fruits of their labor were resoundingly not a success so the musical was later reworked several times, including an off-Broadway revival in 2022 directed by former cast member Maria Friedman (based on her earlier 2012 show) and starring Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez. Promoted to Broadway the following year as a limited engagement at Midtown Manhattan's Hudson Theatre, one (or perhaps more) of its over 300 showings was recorded live for a later theatrical run last December... and that's what we get on this new Blu-ray from Sony.

That's a pretty long introduction for yours truly... and I didn't even touch upon the basic plot, which revolves around the intersecting lives of three Hollywood pals during a roughly 20-year period that's told in reverse chronological order. Nor did I mention the upcoming (far in the future) film by Richard Linklater, which began principal photography in 2019, was partially restarted after a casting change, will continue to be intermittently shot in real time like his film Boyhood, and as such is expected to be released sometime around 2040. Pre-order your tickets now, I guess?

Segueing back to this filmed stage show (anyone else dizzy yet?), Merrily We Roll Along is neither a shot-from-the audience "you are there" recording nor is it a sweeping, overcooked visual account of of this ~145-minute show, which can now paused for occasional breaks since the intermission at around 76 minutes has been made seamless. As we get to know playwright Frank Shepard (Groff), lyricist Charley Kringas (Radcliffe), and journalist Mary Flynn (Mendez) from early middle age in the 1970s to their last years of schooling in the 1950s, we get a good sense of their progression or regression as the clock ticks backwards from their fractured adult lives back to the idealism of youth. Specific decisions and other moments pinpoint or imply where their relationships take a turn (mostly for the worse), from professional successes and failures to creative compromises made along the way and, through its story and songs, Merrily We Roll Along creates a fairly well-rounded portrait of its central characters and other people in their lives.

Not being overly familiar with every iteration of this show, it's difficult to say exactly what director Maria Friedman changed from previous versions to make Merrily We Roll Along work as smoothly as it does here... if earlier mixed to negative reviews were accurate. The songs were likely never the problem and are as catchy as ever, from the title track to other favorites like "That Frank", “Franklin Shepard, Inc.”, “Growing Up”, “Not a Day Goes By”, "Good Thing Going", and "Our Time". They're very capably performed and this pivots to the show's presumed main "new" strength: casting, as all three principal players and many of the supporting actors do a fine job with the material and bring loads of life and personality to their respective characters. Merrily We Roll Along's understated set design is also impressive, often getting the job done with just a few well-placed props, backdrops, and lighting schemes to set the mood.

Even so, like most concert films there are advantages and drawbacks to watching a show this way instead of seeing it live. Stray "enhancements" have been made, such as extra-large on-screen numbers noting the year depicted and, of course, it's edited to establish rhythm during the songs and conversations for dramatic effect. Both of these elements admittedly work to the film's advantage more often than not, but the effect is a little disorienting at first if you're not as familiar with seeing live entertainment this way. Nonetheless, the show's built-in strengths shine through and, given its successful recent Broadway run, it's great that Merrily We Roll Along was captured for posterity. Sony's brand-new MOD (pressed) Blu-ray will certainly attract anyone who has already seen this particular show live and want a keepsake, but more casual Sondheim fans -- if such beings even exist -- should enjoy themselves as well.

Merrily We Roll Along Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The digitally-shot Merrily We Roll Along looks quite lovely on Sony's dual-layered Blu-ray, presenting the 145-minute show in style with bonus points for doing it "live". (The opening segment mentions that this footage was shot in June 2024, suggesting that it's taken from multiple shows and seamlessly stitched together.) As seen in these direct-from-disc screenshots, this is a very healthy-looking and crisply rendered presentation that appears quite impressive even at 1080p/SDR with strong image detail, well-rendered black levels, robust color saturation, and a smooth appearance that nonetheless looks more like its source material than an image that's been heavily processed. No visible defects could be spotted aside from trace amounts of banding on a few strong gradients (harsh light sources), although it's possible that this extremely minor issue could be baked into the original source. Either way, it's an overwhelmingly pleasing and secure visual presentation whose only real room for improvement would be a UHD option.

Merrily We Roll Along Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix plays almost exactly as expected, setting its sonic reference point on stage for a clear presentation of the dialogue and songs while off-stage moments and other secondary effects can still be easily heard. The surrounds naturally aren't used as much but can be counted on for light stage ambiance (voice echo and a more enveloping presence for the musical numbers) as well as occasional crowd laughter and applause which arrives at all the expected moments. The optional English (SDH) subtitles, which of course include song lyrics, may also be of some help and this will be yet another "enhancement" for those lucky enough to see the show live.

Merrily We Roll Along Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This MOD (pressed) Blu-ray ships in a keepcase with cast-themed cover artwork and minimal on-disc extras.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:37) - This recent promotional piece can also be seen here.

Merrily We Roll Along Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Director Maria Friedman helmed the recent Broadway revival production of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, and she likewise lends her creative input to this "concert film" presentation of it filmed in June 2024. Her well-regarded take on the notoriously turbulent source material makes for an enjoyable show with durably great songs, and bringing it to fans who didn't have the time or money to see it live on Broadway is a classy move by Sony, who serves up a solid MOD (pressed) Blu-ray with very strong A/V merits but sadly no bonus features. The price may be cost-prohibitive for now, but it's still a lot cheaper than front-row theater tickets. Recommended to the right crowd.