I really liked it but have never read the books (or even seen the films) so don't know what is missing. It was such a huge show that really deserved the huge theatre that it had. The production was technically amazing with the rotating sectioned stage and other aspects. I really liked the music too and saw the show 4 times in all including an amazing closing night.
When you watched this show you could just tell it was very expencive which was a problem when it wasn't selling well.
Loved it, one of the best theatrical experiences ive had in recent years. It was great to see the pure theatrical staging and creativity on stage. Ive since got the OLC recording and listening to that the music was much better than I remembered at the time.