Not to keep harping on this, but I'm surprised no one mentioned the blatant similarity in tone/instrumentation/concept of "I Am Africa" to "Circle of Life". Perhaps it was already said.
Where is this said FIDDLER reference? That's the one I'm missing.
And, can we assume that the spoken patter bits of "All-American Prophet" are a la THE MUSIC MAN? Although the music, too, does seem to ring a bell for me.
Okay, I'll concede that this IS quite a substantial amount of pastiche. But, really, is it that problematic? THE PRODUCERS, SPAMALOT, and AVENUE Q all did that (to varying degrees) and had great success to say the least.
...And so, there I was at the stage door for "Equus". The enthused avalanche of "Harry Potter" fans was literally pushing me into the barricades. As I was thrust face-first into Daniel Radcliffe's hat, I suddenly felt the thumb of a lanky gentleman behind me pressing firmly into my back. It was then that I realized that both of his hands had Playbills, and that both arms were outstretched in front of me...