Yes, I cannot fathom why anyone thinks Merrily would be better moving in chronological order. Think of the ending. If anything would make an audience unsatisfied, that would. I don't think that anything you could put after that, if the idea is that it wouldn't actually end as it starts now (or with the 1980 graduation scene), could possibly be satisfying. If it were positive, it would seem sappy. If it were negative, it would seem depressing and pointless.
And, yes, it would cease to be Merrily We Roll Along. As you say, it all goes back to Hart and Kaufman. I put Hart first because the play was his idea. |
