At Kennedy Center, musical 'Flashdance' is unimaginative repurposing of movie

MTV lifted off in 1981, and two years later "Flashdance" became a huge movie hit by slicking up the fresh new music video style. The stage musical of "Flashdance" now at the Kennedy Center (and praying for a Broadway date) comes out of the gate looking ready to play along: Early MTV icons such as Madonna and Devo are projected on a screen, and almost immediately the show brashly updates some of the movie's hot-shot street dancing scenes.