The Guardian view on the right to fail in the arts: a principle that must be upheld | Editorial

Not every great work of art is an instant hit – just look at Stephen Sondheim’s Tony-winning Merrily We Roll Along

The triumph of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along in last weekend’s Tony awards is the latest milestone on a long and winding road of theatre history. The original Broadway production in 1981 had more than 40 previews, as its very young company struggled to get it right, but closed after just 16 performances.

That failure put an end to a 20-year collaboration between Sondheim, who died in 2021, and the producer/director Hal Prince, which had created hits such as Company and Sweeney Todd. But Sondheim never lost faith in Merrily, revising and updating it until, two decades on at the Donmar Warehouse in London’s West End, it had an extraordinary renaissance that bagged the Laurence Olivier award for best new musical.