Yep, the book of Robert and Elizabeth is kind of a mess, but so is the one for The Barretts Wimpole Street. In that, Barrett senior gets involved with his flirting niece. It's supposed to be funny. In Robert and Elizabeth, at least that sub-plot was ditched, but every time Browning goes to his theater, you want him to go back to Elizabeth.
From just the recording, I thought this was an intimate, one-set musical, with maybe an insert of some place for the romantic sub-plot about Elizabeth's sister. In opening it up, to me, it gets less interesting -- but I would miss the train and the switch to Italy for the finale. |
