As the Tony Awards approach, the 2023-2024 Broadway season seems to lack a canonical classic among its crop of fresh musicals. But skim past the marquee event that is best musical and look to the undercard bouts for the productions that seem destined for theatrical immortality.
Take “Stereophonic,” David Adjmi’s naturalistic account of the ups, downs and staggering stagnation of a Fleetwood Mac-esque band clashing in the recording studio. With 13 nods, it has already made history as the most Tony-nominated play of all time, with the help of songs by Arcade Fire alum Will Butler.
Then there’s “Merrily We Roll Along,” an expertly calibrated course-correction of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1981 misfire, which tells its story backward to reveal how a starry-eyed composer morphed into a Hollywood hack. Boasting glowing reviews and box-office bona fides, this “Merrily” has emerged as the front-runner for best revival of a musical.
