‘Merrily We Roll Along,’ From Flop To Hit

This week on Shortwave, the internet is obsessed with inflammation. And yeah, it is true. Inflammation is at the heart of nearly every disease in the body. But it's also the body's natural response to danger. So who really needs to be worried about it?

Find out on Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR. This is Fresh Air. I'm Terry Gross. Happy Thanksgiving. Today's show is about Stephen Sondheim's 1981 musical, Merrily We Roll Along.

Next week, a filmed version of the hit 2023 Broadway revival will open in movie theaters for a limited run, and that's great news. The original production closed after only 16 performances, but over the years this terrific musical developed a cult following. There have been several revivals, but the 2023 production was the first to open on Broadway, and it was only a limited engagement. It received seven Tony nominations and won four Tonies, including Best Revival of a Musical. Today we'll listen back to my conversation from last year while the show was still on Broadway with Jonathan Groff, who won a Best Performer Tony for his starring role as Frank.

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