Good job addressing the issue of movie vs. stage musicals. Generally I think it is challenging for movie musicals to beat stage productions since nothing compares to a great staged musical with its orchestra, singers, dancers and costumes. Admittedly, however, some can come close or even be better if they truly take advantage of the medium of film. As an example, I have seen the stage musical West Side Story a number of times as well as the original motion picture and the recent remake. In this case, the movies worked very well because the stage play is limited in sets that cannot replicate the streets of New York, patrol cars, etc. Still, the theatrical production on stage is stunning, so it comes down to a matter of taste rather than quality.

I had another unique experience that was a type of hybrid: I saw the original West Side Story at a performance venue at which a full orchestra played along with the musical numbers. This added a "live" dimension to the movie that was quite original. Not a bad way to celebrate film and stage simultaneously!