It would not surprise me a bit that LuPone is misremembering what happened simply because her version is a better story, one that she was told many times in her concerts.
Schwartz's version of the story seems logical to me, especially considering his reasoning for trusting his memory here: that, once he threatened to sic his lawyers on Merrick over the issue, there'd be no further tampering with the score without his permission. Why would Merrick or any of the show's directors have risked a lawsuit or risked Schwartz pulling his entire score?
I think the real question here is does LuPone actually believe her version of the story, maybe because she has repeated it so often that it's solidified into truth for her, or did she purposely exaggerate the tale for better use as patter in her shows and now, all these years later, that's her story and she's sticking to it? I'm a little surprised that the journalist here didn't try to track down anyone else who would have been around to confirm either version. |
