Has The Music In Musicals Become Too Ingrown?

“I go to a lot of musicals. I listen to a fair amount of pop music. A lot of pop music that is successful is catchy. A lot of musicals that aren’t successful aren’t catchy. Brit composers seem addicted to wordy exposition that furthers the plot but leaves the brain the second the song has stopped. Even pop stars who should know better – *cough, cough Gary Barlow* – seem to think a musical is more about a thesaurus than a chorus.”