I am free of ADRIFT IN MACAO, and on to nailing the piano parts in BARNUM. Or trying to nail. No, I really want to nail them.
I'll learn the parts as written out, then study the Broadway and London recordings for proper embellishment. I think when I originally posted about this, I used the word "improvisation". That's wrong. Those incredible pianists embellished, in the most wonderful and thoroughly appropriate fashion, and I will do what I can to borrow from their work.