Merrily We Roll Along is a story of three friends—Franklin Shepard, Charley Kringas, and Mary Flynn—told in reverse chronological order. The story follows Frank backwards in time, spanning across multiple decades as we witness his reverse character arc from a jaded old businessman, to an aspiring young musician.

The musical begins in 1980 with the characters in their forties. Frank has become rich and jaded, Mary is a bitter alcoholic, and Charley cut ties years prior after a TV interview gone sideways. As the show progresses, time moves backwards, and we witness the events that led up to the falling out between Frank and his friends. We rewind through the seventies, then the sixties, before ending in 1957. Now, the main trio are back where they started—hopeful young adults with lofty aspirations in the entertainment industry. They meet on a rooftop to watch Sputnik fly by, dreaming out loud with each other, and the show closes on this bittersweet note.

The show originated as a straight play, first produced in 1934 and written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. Later, a musical adaptation—with music by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by George Furth—premiered on Broadway in 1981. The adaptation was a flop at the time, due to the poor casting decisions of Sondheim and Hal Prince, and the inexperience of the young actors they recruited.

However, in 2023-2024, Maria Friedman directed a slightly edited revival of the show and brought it back to Broadway. The production won several 2024 Tony Awards, those being Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Feature Role in a Musical, and Best Orchestrations.