In my memory of reading about it, Frank was given "Not a Day Goes By" largely for the reason you're giving about how strange it for him not to have a song that expresses his POV or his desires. Hal understood this, and that no matter how clever it is to give it to Beth and how for a retroactive emotional impact (the idea of her singing back to him his vows which we don't hear until mid act 2 -- though I think it's just as good to think of it as Frank still having the same ideas, and being haunted by how he messed up the marriage -- either way, yes, if you wrote the musical normally and not in reverse, it might work beautifully for Beth to sing this... it just doesn't in reverse.), we don't know her yet and it just won't work, whereas the show needs the audience to hear from Frank.
I think the show is stronger when NADGB is sung by Frank. |
