I think it's rather easy to do a bad production of any Shakespeare show, especially one such as Lear... and often those are the productions that people see. Having just finished the LA company of Menopause, I know that our audiences continually left with a smile, because it's a light-hearted, amusing show, and the audience is, let's face it, predominantly of the demographic for which it was intended... and they LOVE it! To hear it was 'better than Lear' doesn't surprise me at all. It's harder to screw up a show that doesn't have the deeper demands of a Shakespearean tragedy, certainly.
Just one of the reasons I love musical comedy.... I know it's not always the depth of some dramatic plays, but I prefer it when the audience leaves feeling entertained. I myself have left a good theatre company's production of a bad show more than I care to, and it's not a fun feeling....
art