Lindsay Mendez (‘Merrily We Roll Along’) on how the ‘spark’ between co-stars helps deliver a ‘universal’ story about friendship [Exclusive Video Interview]
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“It’s so complicated, but I think it’s so universal to all of us who’ve grown up,” says Lindsay Mendez on the central friendships in “Merrily We Roll Along.” The current Broadway revival at the Hudson Theatre has taken one of Stephen Sondheim’s most infamous flops and turned it into one of the biggest success stories of the season. As far as Mendez is concerned, that success is tied to the ways in which the show provokes audiences to examine the shifting relationships in their own lives. “Friendships come and go and they’re there for a reason,” she explains, “and people change and it’s okay that they change.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Mendez portrays Mary in the revival, alongside co-stars Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe as Frank and Charlie, respectively. The story of their friendship is told in reverse chronological order. The story begins with the trio older and fractured, but continues on to reveal their younger, more hopeful selves.
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The actress wasn’t always convinced she was the right person for the production. “When I read the script, I was like, I hate all these people,” jokes Mendez. It took a meeting with director Maria Freidman to convince her that the show was really a love story between three flawed friends. “It really sunk into me how human it is, and that no act is ever really selfless,” explains Mendez.
Luckily, there was an immediate “special” connection between the three stars. One that didn’t need to be forced. “You just know that something amazing is going to happen,” remembers Mendez of first meeting Radcliffe, “And it’s rare that kind of spark between people and that chemistry, you can’t make it. It just happens and it just is there with us.”
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Not only does that spark help the actor’s sell their on-stage friendship, but it also comes in handy when executing some of Sondheim’s most difficult rhythms and lyrics. Particularly “Opening Doors,” a tightly harmonized beast of a song with overlapping lyrics. “They made us do that number first,” reveals Mendez, “And it was terrifying. We were all totally flop sweating.” But she is grateful for the hours they spent getting the number ingrained within their bodies, as they only need to tap into one another to execute it. “As an actor, so much of your job is just listening. And I feel like the boys are just such incredible listeners,” notes Mendez. “We all have one goal, which is to get the show across the finish line, to get the audience to see all of these characters and what they all need, rather than just what I need. And so we all serve each other and serve the piece, because we love the piece and we believe in it. I hope that the audiences take away what we’re doing together as a collective.”
Mendez won the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her performance in the 2018 revival of “Carousel.” The cast album of the production also scored her a Grammy nomination. She won the Outer Critics Circle Award for the Off-Broadway iteration of “Merrily We Roll Along.”
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