In 1981, Stephen Sondheim attempted a musical with an all-twenty-something cast, Merrily We Roll Along. It quickly sank almost without a trace, with the fortuitous exception of the original cast album. One voice leapt out of those LP grooves. It was so distinctive, mature and assured in its inflections that it seemed inconceivable that such an instrument belonged to a 22-year-old named Jason ...

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