"The current track records kindof shows that the success of a movie musical is pretty elementary - star power."
this may be true, but I would much rather see someone in a role that is not well known, but able to pull of the spark of the character. When an actor is playing the role night after night for months, they connect in a way that an actor playing the role for only a month or so can. By putting in an actor from the original you get a great story and great acting because this person held the role dear and they do not want anything bad to happen to the role. A well known actor can bring in the bucks, but is that what we really want our shows to do?
I think it is more important to turn a show into a movie that will fully display it's greatness regardless of the money earned
What good is a life,
With no one to share,
The light of the moon,
The honor of a swear?