London Production of ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ to Screened in Movie Theaters

An acclaimed London production of the Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical “Merrily We Roll Along,” which Mr. Sondheim said was the best “Merrily” he had ever seen seen, will be screened in movie theaters in New York City and worldwide on Oct. 23, the producers and the film distributors announced on Tuesday.

The production received rave reviews last fall after opening at the Menier Chocolate Factory, then transferred to the West End, where the run ended in late July. Directed by the British actress Maria Friedman, a three-time winner of the Olivier Award (London’s equivalent of the Tony Award), “Merrily” starred several veterans of British theater including Jenna Russell, a Tony nominee for the 2008 Broadway run of “Sunday in the Park with George” - another production of a Sondheim musical that began at the Chocolate Factory.

Several Broadway producers went to London to see “Merrily,” and privately expressed high regard for it, but no plans have been announced to bring the show to Broadway.

The story of three close friends, “Merrily We Roll Along” is best known for its unusual narrative framework - the plot unfolds backwards, with the main characters first appearing on stage with their relationship in tatters, and their sharply observed falling-out is then told in reverse chronology over the prior 20 years. The original Broadway production opened in 1981 to mixed reviews and closed quickly; the show has since been revised but has yet to return to Broadway.

Mr. Sondheim, in a statement accompanying Tuesday’s news release about the broadcast, said, “This production of ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ is not only the best I’ve seen, but one of those rare instances where casting, direction and show come together in perfect combination, resulting in the classic ideal of the sum being greater than the parts.”

The “Merrily” broadcast will be the first to be distributed in the United States as part of a new partnership by the companies CinemaLive and Digital Theater to bring West End theater productions to movie theaters; Britain’s National Theater has been doing the same with its productions in recent years with its popular NT Live film series. “Merrily” will play at the Union Square Stadium 14 theater in Manhattan as well as in the New York suburbs, and in major cities across the United States. Tickets for the United States screenings will go on sale on Sept. 13 at www.fathomevents.com.