Arguably, the aim is to be fairer to the film, to allow its cinematic version to stand by itself. Old enough to remember a handful of reviews of Fosse's Cabaret that missed the entire subplot of Schneider and Schultz, a comparative critique that hasn't exactly survived.
The Times may also feel that this show's placement in the American musical theater canon isn't quite up to the expectations afforded your mentions, South Pacific, West Side Story, or Chorus Line. I'd agree to that.
