SPOILER ALERT "Fly By Night" at the Jungle Theater

A few additional spoilery thoughts about the charming new musical Fly By Night:

• I was disappointed that Miriam died at the end of the play. I felt like the audience had been asked to believe in Harold and Miriam as the destined couple, and I was wholly invested in that. Only to find out that she dies, perhaps so that Harold and Daphne can get back together? The character of Miriam deserves better than to be used as a stepping stone in Harold and Daphne's romance. I felt a little betrayed, the same way I did when How I Met Your Mother spent nearly ten years building up to Ted's pivotal meeting with and marrying "the mother," only to find out that she dies, just so that Ted can end up with Robin after all (who was better with Barney anyway). I'm no playwright, but I have to believe that there's a way to resolve the story and make the point about connection and destiny without sacrificing the character of Miriam.
• Harold's dad tells the story of how he met Harold's mother shortly "after the war." This is 1964/5, so one can assume by "the war" he means World War II. In other words, Harold's parents met sometime after 1945. If Harold was born in, say, 1946, that would make him 18 when this story starts. But he's already living on his own in Manhattan, with a job, and the character seems to be in his 20s at least. (Thanks to my friend Jules at Minnesota Theater Love for pointing this out.)