I wonder why there was such a rush to destroy the earth barge. Did they need the backstage space, was the barge an insurance liability due to the high hazard of the mechanism, or was it done so the show could never be performed again?
I don’t have any insider knowledge, but I imagine It was convenient. They have a crane and crews already right there they are using the build the new barges.
Considering how twitchy the earth barge was on a day to day basis, I doubt it would be feasible to use in show without extensive rehab after being in ‘storage’ for any length of time. The only reason it still worked at all was because it was receiving daily attention. You let things sit, it quickly decays.