On January 28, original Broadway cast members from Merrily We Roll Along, the short-lived musical from Stephen Sondheim, George Furth, and Harold Prince, will reunite for a panel event that looks back at their experience in the troubled production, which is now the subject of the new documentary film Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened.
Jennifer Ashley Tepper will moderate the panel that will feature original Broadway cast members David Cady, Forest Ray, Donna Marie Asbury, Daisy Prince, and Mana Allen.
The documentary film was directed by original Merrily cast member Lonny Price.
Merrily We Roll Along was one of the most anticipated productions of 1981. With director Prince and composer-lyricist Sondheim fresh off their success with Sweeney Todd. The troubled musical, which featured a cast of young performers just starting out, shuttered after 16 performances.
According to filmmakers, “For the first time, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened draws back the curtain on the extraordinary drama of the show's creation - and tells the stories of the hopeful young performers whose lives were transformed by it. Directed by Lonny Price, a member of the original cast, the film is a bittersweet meditation on the choices we all make, and the often unexpected consequences of those choices—through success and failure.”
The film includes appearances by Sondheim, Prince, Jason Alexander, Mandy Patinkin, Adam Guettel, Frank Rich and the original Broadway cast of Merrily We Roll Along. It is produced by Atlas Media Corp in association with Allright Productions.
BroadwayCon has also announced a 25 percent student discount offer for individuals with a valid student ID. The discount applies to general weekend passes and single-day passes for the three-day event that runs January 27-29 at the Javits Center in New York.
Use code BCSTUDENT to access the discounted rate. Students will need to provide a student ID when checking in to the event.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE STUDENT DISCOUNT TICKETS
BroadwayCon takes you through the stage door to be part of the excitement that happens onstage and behind the scenes. It is a place where Broadway fans come together to celebrate the shows they love with people who bring them to life.
Co-presented by Playbill, Mischief Management, and Anthony Rapp, BroadwayCon 2017 will include stars and artists from A Bronx Tale, Bandstand, Frozen, Hamilton, Significant Other, War Paint, In Transit, The Great Comet, Waitress, School of Rock, Newsies, Dear Evan Hansen, Once On This Island, Hedwig, Fiddler on the Roof, Phantom of the Opera, A New Brain, Wicked, Allegiance, Grease, Cinderella, If/Then, Something Rotten!, Rent, and many more.
Some of the talent announced to participate includes Josh Groban and the cast of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Todrick Hall and the cast of Kinky Boots, Anastasia stars Christy Altomare and Derek Klena, Chazz Palminteri and the cast of A Bronx Tale, the cast and creators of In Transit, Chita Rivera, Andy Blankenbuehler and Bandstand stars Laura Osnes and Corey Cott, Kelli O’Hara, Joel Grey, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Danny Burstein, Christopher Jackson, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Lena Hall, Christine Ebersole, Santino Fontana, Norm Lewis, LaChanze, Daisy Eagan, Laura Bell Bundy, Susan Egan, Alice Ripley, Ben Vereen, Chita Rivera, Donna Murphy, Keala Settle, Nick Adams, Joe DiPietro, Carolee Carmello, Okieriete Onaodowan, Reed Birney, Julia Murney, William Ivey Long, Tina Landau, Ben Cameron, Ryann Redmond, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Melissa Errico, David Henry Hwang, Tim Federle, Eric Anderson, Des McAnuff, Seth Rudetsky, Lisa Howard, Lorin Latarro, Lesli Margherita, Jenn Colella, Christopher Gattelli, Marc Kudisch, Geneva Carr, Beowulf Boritt, Kathleen Marshall, Max von Essen, Jeremy Jordan, Tony Yazbeck, Ann Harada, Javier Muñoz, Fredi Walker-Browne, Rebecca Luker, and more! Talent availability is subject to change. David Alpert is the director of headline programming for BroadwayCon.
