It should mean more to the guy in the seat than it does to the character on the stage. It should resonate into people's lives. Too many creators simply try to fill the moment and sit in a comfortable place where they don't do anything creatively wrong. Creativity is dangerous, it should hurt audience and creator alike. That's what makes it so beautiful.
Book musicals are dead, dead as a doornail.
Anyone trying to write an old-fashioned book musical is dooming himself to failure. People want to hear songs in a musical, not talk. The Model T was a great car in its day, but we don't still drive them around. Jerry Herman sucks. Their day is passed.