Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened

Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened is a 2016 theatrical documentary film directed by Lonny Price and produced by Bruce David Klein with Price, Kitt Lavoie and Ted Schillinger. Scott Rudin and Eli Bush serve as executive producers. The film tells the story of the making of the original Broadway production of Merrily We Roll Along and of the hopeful young performers whose lives were transformed by it. The film is a production of Atlas Media Corp. in association with Allright Productions.

Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened
Official release poster
Directed byLonny Price
Produced byBruce David Klein
CinematographyMatthew Howe
Elaine Epstein
Edited byRikki Portner
Distributed byAbramorama
Release date
  • October 9, 2016 (2016-10-09) (New York Film Festival)
  • November 18, 2016 (2016-11-18) (United States)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

In September 2016, the film was acquired by Abramorama for theatrical distribution.[1]

The film premiered at the New York Film Festival in October 2016 and has a theatrical release set for November 18, 2016.[2]

About the film

Merrily We Roll Along is a 1981 musical that is based on a 1934 play of the same name written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The book of the musical was written by George Furth with lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim. Hal Prince directed the original production which opened on Broadway in 1981 and closed after sixteen performances.[3] Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened features interviews with the creators and original cast of the now-classic show as well as rare and never before seen footage from the rehearsal process.

Film includes appearances by

Critical reception

Critical reception of the film was overwhelmingly positive.[4][5][6]

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called the film a “lovingly assembled documentary” and stated that “Mickey and Judy would have loved it, bittersweet ending and all.”[2]

Michael Schulman of The New Yorker called it a “moving documentary” and wrote: “It’s hard now to imagine the audience members who stormed out, exasperated, during the original run, but seeing the cast members reflect on the ordeal shows how devastating it was to realize they were on a sinking ship—and that those 'gods' Sondheim and Prince were mortal after all.”[4]

Odie Anderson of the Village Voice said the film “...is sure to satisfy theater wonks, Sondheim fans, curious moviegoers and lovers of Broadway.”[5]

Jude Dry of IndieWire gave the film an “A” rating, saying “’Best Worst Thing’ is more than a story about a Broadway show; its most poignant moments examine the thrill of dreams coming true, and the inevitable come down afterwards.”[6]

References
  1. "Stephen Sondheim's 'Merrily We Roll Along' Doc Picked Up by Abramorama".
  2. "'Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened': Film Review - NYFF 2016".
  3. "Merrily We Roll Along @ Alvin Theatre - Playbill".
  4. "Revisiting a Legendary Sondheim Flop". 14 October 2016.
  5. Henderson, Odie (14 October 2016). "NYFF: Stephen Sondheim Merrily Faces Down the 'Best Worst Thing That Could Have Happened'".
  6. Dry, Jude. "'Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened' Review — NYFF 2016 - IndieWire".
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