I came to this same conclusion when I saw Mamma Mia! Across the Universe, a Beatles themed jukebox musical, went the other way, providing an unabashed fantasy with elaborate production numbers that could never prove functional in any other medium | In an era where the Hollywood sheen can make a phony genre like the musical seem even phonier, a successful movie musical needs to go in one of two directions |
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On stage, the pure spectacle of the musical number is enough to engender a great deal of goodwill in the audience | It needs to play to those strengths |
There is, of course, the discussion to be had about the suitability of musical talent.
11In which one man attempts to view every summer blockbuster for the entire season, regardless of taste, genre, or Remington Steele trying to sing | When the actors performed the songs, the play works as delightful, escapist fare |
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Granted, it would be impossible for a story like this one to go for a realist structure, but it certainly could have gone for overblown fantasy | Either make a play at realism, or go impossibly big |