Give my regards to Broadway

The Wedding Singer. Legally Blonde. Spamalot. Titanic. Footloose. The Rocky Horror Picture Show. All these titles have something in common: they are movies that have been made into Broadway musicials.

I am bothered by this trend. Broadway has a certain mystique, a class about it that has created classical musicals. To bring a movie script onto the stage seems demoralizing and almost sacrilegious. I don't see Legally Blonde worthy of sharing the same circle as Andrew Lloyd Webber. Making a movie into a musical cheapens the value of Broadway.

(The Disney movies weren't included in my initial list. The Little Mermaid and The Lion King have made their debuts onto Broadway, as well. But Disney is in a different world, and almost shares that same mystique as Broadway. For some reason, I'm not as bothered by these animated movies becoming singing and dancing numbers on stage).

Could it be a societal issue? Are we becoming so secular that we are disinterested in those shows that we haven't already seen on the big screen? Are we trading the classics for the best sellers? Are we in danger of those famous Broadway musicals going dark, only to make their appearance again in brief revivals, a la Cats? What happened to the "good ol' days" when it was the silver screen that was honored to host a Broadway musical, and not the other way around?

I refuse to support any musical that has it's roots in a movie. I'll still go to Broadway musicals, but to see the quality shows, not just one that's hoping to extend its commercial value on 42nd street.