The Disney era of musical theater

Has American theater outgrown the classics?

Many high schools seem to think so — because they’re abandoning classic scripts such as Bye Bye Birdie, Fiddler on the Roof, and Oklahoma! for newer, more modern sounds such as The Addams Family, Mamma Mia!, and Beauty and the Beast, according to a series of surveys compiled by National Public Radio. These last three titles were the most-performed musicals this past school year, the surveys found, and are in the running to be at the top of the list this next year too.