Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened

— A Facebook friend suggested this documentary and it proved to be a good tip. It focuses on the creation of Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 flop, “Merrily We Roll Along,” with more than a bit of admiration toward Sondheim and producer Hal Prince, and with bittersweet reverence toward the experience. About half the documentary looks at the the time leading up to the actual Broadway production, as Sondheim and Prince worked on the material and a group of young actors (all ages 16-25) had the thrill of being cast by the legendary songwriter and producer, at the family they cast and the devastation they felt when the play closed after only 16 performances. The rest of the film focuses mostly on the paths cast members lives have taken since the experience, and their reactions to the experience with 35 years distance from it. What emerges is a look at a comradery forged during a pivotal moment in their youth and a joyous memory that lingered on. I’ll be truthful, viewers who aren’t Sondheim fans and those who are only casual Broadway musical fans may think this could have been edited a little more, but in the end it's really the story of the first time you realize even heroes fail, that sometimes life is disappointing and dreams need to change, that few people know what path their lives will ultimately take, and that it’s okay to look back as long as you’re living in the present. [Netflix streaming.]

---

[2016. 95 min. Directed by Lonny Price.]
https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/best-worst-thing-that-ever-happened-review-stephen-sondheim-1201921997/