Cropped Musicals

Similar to Jay's Play to Movie thread, here is a question. What do you think of musicals that have been cropped down and commercialized to create a wider appeal? The example I think of is when I saw "Phantom of the Opera" at the Venetian in Las Vegas. I still loved the show, but it was obvious that a good deal had been cut from the original. They left all the songs mostly intact, but got the whole thing down to a scant intermission-less 1:45. While totally worth it, it wasn't the same in my opinion.

I would think more of the general populace with Hollywood attention spans would be more inclined to sit through something roughly the length of a movie than something close to 3 hours long. And if you want the audience numbers that Vegas can bring, well you may have to cater to the Vegas mindset... overdone and fleeting before the next thing to do.

We could be purists (or snobs?) and say that the art should be enjoyed only by those who appreciate its intended form. Or we could be egalitarians (or sell-outs?) and say that art should be designed to appeal to the common man, and that anything that promotes the arts is good.

What do you think? What other nuances of this question come into play?

I suppose I have to stick to my hard-line traditionalist pattern. I say leave the art as is (yes, I think musicals are art).