Sometimes revenge is a dish served cold, whether best that way or not. When Stephen Sondheim's beautifully-structured musical Merrily We Roll Along was new, in 1981, it ran for only 16 post-preview performances in New York. Which is what for most composers would be a disaster. For Sondheim, that's called business as usual. Well, OK, not quite, 12 shows is pretty terrible by anyone's standards. But in true Sondheim fashion, fashion was proved wrong as the passing of time has led to acceptance, respect and acclaim for Merrily. The latest triumph is its just-announced seven nominations in the UK's 2014 Olivier Awards.