Speaking of lack of knowledge, Jesse Green also seemed to be unaware that the show as written ends with Fagin's reprise of "Reviewing the Situation." He seems to think it's Lear deBessonet's idea (although I will grant that he phrased it in such a way as to almost hedge his bets).
Yes - that bothered me too.
But Green does make a point that I never fully considered, but is part of my own struggle with the show - that the songs don't always have much to do with the story. And given this thread, a case in point is "I'll Do Anything" - which is a fine song in its own right, but what exactly is the point of it in the show? (Aside from Fagin's section, where the boys swear a rather disturbing degree of allegiance to him. That at least does make sense.) The whole idea of the boys, Nancy, and Bet suddenly going off on this tangent of behaving like "ladies and gentlemen" really comes out of nowhere. |
