The other two shows rely on single musical sources. Meat Loaf’s original “Bat Out of Hell” album, written by Steinman, came out in 1977, and was based on a concept the songwriter had started working on in the late 1960s. The musical’s book incorporates several other Steinman songs, and happens to be oddly similar to the unabashedly comical one Ben Elton cooked up for “We Will Rock You.” Both are set in a dystopian future where handsome young dudes lead the charge against a repressive order.

Of this trio, the sci-fi-flavored productions got closest to the sweet spot because they fully committed to the cray-cray. “Moulin Rouge!,” on the other hand, distrusts its own musical DNA.

Two out of three ain’t bad, as Steinman once wrote.

Whereas the other productions were touring — safely distant from the withering glare of New York theater critics, who are not, as a whole, known for rocking out — “Moulin Rouge!” is perched on Broadway.

That makes it, on paper at least, the “classy” offering in the bunch. The cast and creative team are stuffed with Tony winners. The sets are jaw-droppingly outlandish; the striking costumes are richly evocative for the men, evocative for the women. The budget for Brazilian waxing alone must be staggering.

Yet to me “Moulin Rouge!” is all wrapper, no candy.

Like the film, the musical adopts a chop-shop approach to its set list. But at least Luhrmann managed to convey a blend of irreverence and affection for his material — a telltale sign was his casting of the pop star Kylie Minogue, known for her own flamboyant spectacles, as the Green Fairy.