Just saw the DVD! The cast is SO tremendously talented. Great voices and great dancers. It is however, a literal, translation. The choreography looks the same as the show.
I was hoping for some re-invention. I mean how fun would it have been to see the naked maid actually cleaning a house. I mean they could have put all the guys in prison and had them daydreaming or something. I guess Rob Marshall wasn't available.
The documentary on the DVD alludes to the fact that the old dude who conceived the show was kinda married to not changing his concepts of the show. Therefore, I think re-invention of the material was out of the question from the get-go.
I also don't really understand why the actors had to do it in front of a live audience. That had to be daunting with all of the re-takes, close-ups, etc. It wasn't just filming a straight run-through of the show. From the documentary one of the actors almost walked when he found out that was the case. I think that was pushing the limits of respecting the actors and their bodies.
All that said, the talent is top notch and I support the production for that alone. Those guys deserve mad props for having the guts to make the film. The singing is great, the songs sweet and worth a look.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello