"Although many ppl hate them, Mamma Mia was the first to bring the fad to the attention of the public, so I think that's something."
That might be true for the US, but Return to the Forbidden Planet was the first jukebox musical in London to really gain public attention and earn a healthy run including successful tours, regional productions, worldwide amateur and professional productions and a West End revival.
Pretty much every show I've seen listed here has not really been "pointless" including Cats. Cats, while popular to hate for its lengthy run and worldwide success, was designed to feature its score, costumes, makeup, choreography and environmental staging. It was revolutionary when it opened and millions found it entertaining enough to sustain productions for over a decade worldwide. A show does not need a linear plot to have a point.
Probably the closest thing I've seen to "pointless" was Notre Dame de Paris simply because it took a popular story and attempted to stage it as a pop-concert/Cirque du Soleil experience using virtually no book or interaction between characters. It was just a parade of songs and acrobatics that tried to feebly try to tie-in the story of the Hunchback and most of the chorus vocals were lip-synced. The Civil War was almost as pointless, but at least it didn't rely upon an established story line. Though I didn't see Laughing Room Only, it sounded pretty pointless. Jackie Mason does his stand-up every couple of years on Broadway and has his own audience. I couldn't figure out why he wanted to venture into a musical vaudeville-esque show when he can't sing or dance and his audience has never needed a superfluous chorus.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
