um...just thought I'd step in here....
No one wanted the movie to be one of these bloated things we all sit through these days where it seems like the directors and editors are in love with every frame and WON'T MAKE THE CUTS. My God, even Spiderman and Pirates movies are clocking in at crazy lengths.
In other words, to make the movie the right length, we basically had to cut over 45 minutes from what plays on the Broadway stage every night.
So, do the math!
As it stands right now, the movie is just about an opera, what with the musical numbers coming fast and furious, one after another. There is no intermission for breathing space. Something hadda give! It's gonna be O.K.!
And our director made a good point, which was the song made Tracy/Edna & Amber/Velma too much "the same" and for movie villians to be the most fun, we would be better off keeping them "apart". I thought it was a sound idea.
I am ecstatic about how the movie came out. The audiences that have seen it (and in temporary form still) have reacted like a great night at the show. And these have been "normal" people off the street who I feared would be like "why are they singing? why are they singing??". And they have loved it! The heart and soul is all there.

Marc Shaiman