One of my favorite musicals is Kismet, which was made into a very entertaining Hollywood movie in 1955. One notable thing about it is that all of the music is actually adapted from the Polovtsian Dances, an unfinished 1887 Opera by Alexander Borodin.
I am surprised that this idea of building upon the canon of classical music has not gained more traction. When I listen now to the music of Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Chopin, I imagine them as the melodies of musicals yet unwritten, with lyrics yet to be discovered.
I for one would love to see an exploration of this idea. Wouldn’t that be better than Jukebox musicals?