"(Does a Mame situation still apply in this day and age?)"
Maybe we're talking in circles here, when we talk about efforts to view "Comet..." as a brand in and of itself ("Rent" "Spring Awakening") vs. a show that needs box office talent attached -- on B'way -- to succeed. To answer the "Mame" question, let's see how well "Dolly" works in the winter of 2018.