I am heartened to see the NY Times actually calling out the Lack of Geography in the Merrily film:
Friedman, a longtime friend and collaborator of Sondheim, has regarded "Merrily" as a passion project, and she directs this filmed version of her own stage show, with the company RadicalMedia, who also made the live stage recording of "Hamilton" for Disney+. In immortalizing this musical, allowing it to be savored by new audiences, she's done a precious and admirable thing: seeing Radcliffe tear through "Franklin Shepard, Inc.," or the core trio clown and dazzle with "Bobby and Jackie and Jack," remains a gift.
But as a film director, Friedman adds little and, occasionally, inadvertently subtracts: This "Merrily" is too reliant on close-ups and frenetic cutting, which simply distract from the moving, beating heart of this wonderful play.
That's especially unfortunate because the Hamilton video is very likely the most perfect blend of visual viewpoints ever accomplished, which I know is saying a lot.