Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan sang 11 of the 14 songs live, in multiple takes, due to camera set ups. "If I Didn't Believe in You" is shot in one continuous camera move. Jeremy Jordan sang the song 14 times straight through. Anna Kendrick sang "Still Hurting" 17 times over five camera set-ups.
The film was shot in 21 days. The last day of shooting was the last song of the score "Goodbye Until Tomorrow". Shot entirely in New York, Brooklyn and Staten Island.
In the original version of "Climbing Uphill", Cathy sings, "Why am I working so hard? These are the people who cast Linda Blair in a musical." in reference to Blair's one-time stint playing Rizzo in the 1994 Broadway revival of "Grease". Here she sings, "These are the people who cast Russell Crowe in a musical" in reference to Crowe's panned performance as Javert in the film version of Les Misérables (2012). Jason Robert Brown confesses he is not sure who made the change, possibly crediting it to Anna Kendrick.
In the trailer, Cathy hands a paper to a man sitting at a piano. This man is the actual composer of the musical, Jason Robert Brown.
Loosely based on composer Jason Robert Brown's relationship with his first wife.