In the Stephen Sondheim musical Merrily We Roll Along, there is a common refrain that the ensemble sings throughout the show: "How did you get to be here? What was the moment?" For audiences who saw the hit 2024 Broadway revival starring Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe, they got to see those key moments in the musical from a distance in the 970-seat Hudson Theatre. 

But in the new filmed version of that production, which captures the show live on Broadway and is out in movie theatres now, audiences can see those moments more up close.

As director Maria Friedman tells Playbill, when she was directing the camera work for this new film, an intimate perspective was  essential: "It's everything you could have seen [live], but close up. So we were getting into the real detail of how people are feeling and understanding everybody's point of view. Because Merrily is about collecting moments: you gather them, and then eventually you've got a little basket, and you're bit like a detective in reverse. You're like, 'Oh, no, don't go down that road, this is going to happen.' Because it goes backwards. So I wanted to make sure that those moments were very clear so we knew what we were gathering in terms of identifying with all the characters, loving the characters, not blaming the characters, feeling forgiveness for the people on stage, in the film."

And for those who will see this filmed stage capture in movie theatres, they might even spot details that they couldn't have seen live at the Hudson—details that offer additional insight into each character or uncover pieces of Merrily lore that were previously unclear. After seeing this filmed version multiple times, here are 7 things you can only see if you watch Merrily We Roll Along on screen.

The Opening Title Sequence

Everyone loves an overture (though they're rare in the theatre nowadays). And Merrily's overture gets a special spotlight at the top of this new film. There's a title sequence, yes, but it also includes footage of the orchestra as well as on-screen musical notation—which does line up with the notes that you're hearing. After all, the thing that's made Merrily endure (despite it lasting just 16 performances its first go on Broadway in 1981) is the score, and the film truly holds space for Sondheim's masterwork from the jump.

"Franklin Shepard, Inc."

Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe both won Tony Awards for their performance as longtime friends and composing duo Franklin Shepard and Charlie Kringas. And if you watch the number "Franklin Shepard, Inc.," you'll see why. When Radcliffe sang it live at the Hudeson, it was an athletic feat of that showcased his ability to handle Sondheim's tongue-twisting lyrics while conveying a man having a nervous breakdown. But on the screen, as Friedman switches the camera from Radcliffe singing to Groff reacting in shock, then sadness, then anger—we're given a visceral look at a friendship breaking apart before our eyes.

Justice for Mary

Throughout Merrily, the characters talk quite a bit about their careers: Franklin's music, Charlie's writing, and Mary's book. But while Franklin and Charlie's work is given titles and you get the gist of what their musicals are about, the same can't be said for Mary. We are told she's a best-selling author, but not what her book is about (or much about her career at all, frankly). 

The Merrily film gives us a hint, when Franklin gives her a Spanish-language copy of her book as a gift and we can actually see the cover and its title: Los Ladrones y Los Santos, translated to The Thieves and the Saints. Well, that could easily be an alternate title for Merrily. 

The Micro-espressions

It is clear that Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez became "old friends" throughout the two years they starred in the musical. In the Merrily film, the trio have a visible ease and love, often mouthing and reacting to each other in ways that are inaudible to the audience—but those who watch their performance on the screen will see it all clearly. For instance, during the song "Old Friends," Charlie mouths to Mary to "come" over to him and Franklin for their final bit of harmonization. In "Good Thing Going," Mary gestures for Charlie take off his glasses while he's singing; he does, to which she mouths that we can see his face better. In "Our Time," when Franklin says to Mary, "I just met the girl I’m gonna marry," Mendez's expressive response lets us know that this was the moment. 

Merrily is a reminder of what film can provide that theatre sometimes can't: the ability to truly see the characters and what they're feeling, on the most intimate of scales.

It's a Hit!

Cameras were rolling on the Merrily film in June 2024, right after the revival had won four Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical. Groff and Radcliffe had both just won Tonys for their performances, and with its Best Revival win, Merrily had officially become a resounding Broadway hit after its unsuccessful debut in the '80s. That gives the cast's performance on screen in the song "It's a Hit!" a certain meta-theatrical zeal, especially when Beth (played by Katie Rose Clarke) gives Franklin (Groff) a fake Tony Award. The pride and joy on Groff's face (as well as Clarke's jumps of joy throughout that sequence) should be bottled. 

Little Frank

Throughout the musical, we hear about Franklin's son Frank Jr., first when Mary mentions him at the top of the show (with Frank responding with bitterness at being estranged from his son). We then see the boy during a happier time when his father was more present (well, kind of). After that, in the original script, Frank Jr. basically disappears for all of Act 2. But in the revival, Friedman makes the inspired decision to have Frank Jr. sing the final transitionary reprise of the title number before going into "Our Time," the final song in the show. And in the filmed Merrily, you can very clearly see Frank Jr. sing "rolling along" to his father—which is both an "awww" moment and a gut punch.

Also, onstage at the Hudson, the role of Frank Jr. was split between Max Rackenberg, Brady Wagner, Calvin James Davis, Rocco Van Auken, and Charlie Steinman. Onscreen, it's just Rackenberg, but we wanted to note the other adorable little boys who shared the role.

Closing Titles

If you're a big Merrily fan, then make sure to watch this new filmed version all the way through to the credits. As the credits play, you'll see never-before-seen photos of the cast, as well as of the late Sondheim and Furth. Plus, there are tributes to Hal Prince, who directed the original production of Merrily, as well as the cast of the 2013 West End revival of Merrily—on which this revival was based.

It's clear this Merrily is not just about the new friends who created it, it's also about the old friends.

Visit FathomEntertainment.com for tickets.