Episode 193 — Revisiting Sondheim: Merrily We Roll Along

Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show!

This week we return to our ongoing Stephen Sondheim deep dive series with a long-overdue update — inspired by the extraordinary filmed stage version of Merrily We Roll Along.

For years, Merrily has been known as the fascinating “problem child” of the Sondheim canon — a brilliant score paired with a notoriously difficult structure. But the recent filmed Broadway production, directed by Maria Friedman, offers a revelatory take on the show that made both of us fall in love with it all over again.

In this episode we talk about:

• ​Why Merrily We Roll Along has had such a complicated history
• ​How smart direction can solve the storytelling challenges of the show’s reverse timeline
• ​Why this particular production finally makes the emotional arc land
• ​The power of Sondheim’s score when the story is clearly staged and grounded
• ​And why this filmed version might be the definitive way many people experience the show

We also revisit our earlier thoughts about the piece from our original Sondheim series and discuss how seeing this production shifted our perspective.

If you love Stephen Sondheim, musical theatre history, and the rare revival that truly cracks the code of a difficult show — this episode is for you.

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