Not really a rule.
As I said, Annie, A Chorus Line and Phantom all opened during their shows' Broadway runs (and, in the case of the former two, before the Chicago film). Those were all, of course, flops. Grease also opened during the show's Broadway run and despite it's blockbuster appeal, does not seem to have prolonged the show's life, whereas Chicago very likely did.
Yes, Cabaret stage productions now include songs from the film but, as with Grease, they don't damage the show (which was the poster's question) as I believe is not true of Dreamgirls. Although after I posted I looked at the program from the just closed MUNY production and they did not include the film songs, so apparently that is an option. |
