From the Piazza to the Hudson, Merrily We Roll Along’s Katie Rose Clarke Walks Through Her Broadway Resume

Merrily We Roll Along, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s reverse chronological musical about the heartbreak of growing up, is often touted as a piece for a trio. Katie Rose Clarke, however, makes for a powerful fourth in the Mary-Frank-Charley unit, taking on the role of Frank’s wife Beth—the one who gets to pull Broadway audiences’ heartstrings nightly with the ballad “Not a Day Goes By.”

Clarke made her Broadway debut nearly 20 years ago as Clara in The Light in the Piazza, assuming the daunting responsibility of replacing Kelli O’Hara in her star-making role—and all before she even graduated college. It clearly went well enough: To this day, she holds the title of Wicked’s longest-running Glinda (a show in which she got to perform opposite her current Merrily castmate Lindsay Mendez). She also originated the role of Hannah Campbell in the 2015 musical Allegiance, which starred Miss Saigon’s original Kim, Lea Salonga—a portent of Clarke's performance as Ellen in Miss Saigon's 2017 revival.

It’s been an eventful 20 years in the Broadway community, and Clarke marked the milestone with a special appearance on The Broadway Show. Watch as she takes Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek on a nostalgic walking tour of her career's greatest highlights, visiting the very theaters that hold her Broadway memories and sharing the stories of victory and heartbreak you amass over the course of a life on stage.