"High Fidelity" -- The Reviews

It was inevitable that a Broadway musical based on "High Fidelity" would flop. If you include recordings of classic rock songs, the new tunes in the show would surely pale in comparison. If you sing covers of classic rock songs, the performances would invariably pale (and undermine the entire heart of the story). And if you don't use any rock classics but just an original Broadway score, you create a weird disconnect -- you can't sing about your love of Springsteen and Dylan and the Clash while belting a Broadway tune. Plus, you have to lose the best moments of the movie: playing the Beta Band in your record store to get customers to buy their album and the finale in which Jack Black can actually sing. The NYT says the show makes its Top 5 list of Most Forgettable Broadway musicals. The NY Daily News is sort of polite, the NY Post is dismissive, they all agree the set is nifty and Variety has the best line: "Some cover versions are just bad ideas." Meanwhile, "The Drowsy Chaperone" -- a celebration of old Broadway musicals -- just recouped its $8 million budget.