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Stephen Sondheim: "Merrily We Roll Along"

 Sondheim has written truckloads of canonical "I Want" numbers: "Some People," "Something's Coming," "Now" (from NIGHT MUSIC), the title song in INTO THE WOODS, "Little Lamb," "My Friends" (from SWEENEY), "Unworthy of Your Love."


One of his greatest is "Opening Doors," from MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. Because the story is told backwards, the major "I Want" moment happens toward the end of the evening.

The song traces the growth of a Sondheim-ish figure, Frank, as he tries to make his name as a composer:

We're opening doors, singing,
Here we are!
We're filling up days on a dime.
That faraway shore's...looking...
Not too far.
We're following every star.
There's not enough time!

After a funny (and painful) moment of professional disappointment, Frank revisits the "nautical" metaphor, but he makes some edits:

They're slamming the doors, singing,
Go away!
It's less of a sail than a climb.
That faraway shore's...farther...
Every day. 
We're learning to ricochet...
We still have a lot to say....

Sondheim uses parallel structure, in a subtle way. "We're following every star" is a First Act; "we're learning to ricochet" is a kind of reprise. Frank is growing up, in real time.

We're banging on doors, shouting,
Here again!
We're risking it all on a dime.
That faraway shore's....looking...
Near again.
The only thing left is WHEN...
We know we should count to ten...
We haven't got time!

Frank has learned to become scrappy. It's not enough to try to open the door; you have to bang on it. It's not enough to sing; you have to shout.

You can sense Sondheim's delight as he considers and revisits various phrases: "that faraway shore," "living on a dime." He liked to speak about the Statue of Liberty; apparently (or maybe not), the sculptor defended a choice to include fabulous details on the cap of the head of Lady Liberty. "I don't care if those details are invisible to the world. I personally know that they're there...." 

As you watch a Sondheim show, you miss some of the details, just in an effort to try to follow the story. How fun to go back and notice--and appreciate--the sense of rigor and care.

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