Where Have All The Musicals Gone?

While reading this article about The Producers, I noticed the following couple of paragraphs:

One of the producers of The Producers, John Frost, says they particularly wanted someone for the role of Max Bialystock, who had a vaudeville or musical background. “Unfortunately, we don’t breed that style of actors any more and we were very lucky with Reg Livermore in getting him for this role, because Reg is probably the last of that breed.” So what’s happened to all the talented musical actors? Have they all gone into television careers? I know Neighbours has a habit of snapping them up – the whole show is basically a stepping stone to move between musicals or pantomimes and a pop music career. It’s certainly quite true that a huge number of very talented stage actors are winding up in TV these days, it’s a shame it appears to be at the expense of the musicals. Fortunately, I haven’t seen the entertaining Simon Gallagher on TV other than in screening of musical productions and surely we can forgive Jon English for All Together Now by now right? Anyway, go out and see a musical – support this wonderful art form (but winge and moan suitably about the high ticket prices too). It would be such a shame to loose this art form.