Regarding Robert/Bobby, I totally agree with you that Sondheim's personal taste for performers and productions -- frequently changing or canceling each other out -- should be taken with a grain of salt. All I'm saying is that I *happen* to agree with him on Friedman's take on the show.
I'm glad you finally decided to wade in and weigh in. I appreciate your perspective as somebody who actually saw the original production and thought it worked. I'm also aware that others feel the same as you do. Two cases in point:
1) While this writer never saw the 1981 version, he, like many of us, first fell in love with the show thanks to the OBCR. He argues in this piece that the structure of the original, including what he considers the essential framing device of Frank speaking at a high-school graduation ceremony, was perfect to begin with and never needed to be tinkered with. Well worth a read:
https://medium.com/@stokescolin/regretting-merrily-we-roll-along-4cbf4bcfecf9
2) And then there's this tweet that neatly encapsulates the same sentiment: "You want to fix Merrily? Do a good production of the originally licensed version." |
