NEW YORK -- As every "American Idol" addict knows, judge Simon Cowell thinks "Broadway" is a dirty word. If a contestant sings on pitch, eschews painfully held caterwauling high notes and otherwise follows the musical line of a song instead of distorting it beyond recognition, watch out! Cowell will trash that guy as being just "too Broadway."

Frenchie Davis spiked sales at "Rent." Justin Guarini has been cast in new Beach Boys tuner "Good Vibrations." On Nov. 9, Tamyra Gray replaces Anita Nagarajan in "Bombay Dreams." And "Brooklyn" director Jeff Calhoun says it out loud: "I don't care if people call our show the 'American Idol' musical. I'm just here to entertain people!"

"Brooklyn" comes to its ear-splitting climax when strong-voiced divas Eden Espinosa and Ramona Keller battle it out in a nationally televised singing competition. The theater isn't imitating reality TV, says Calhoun. "Barri (McPherson) and Mark (Schoenfeld) had that scene in the show a full year before 'American Idol.' In fact, Rosie O'Donnell saw 'Brooklyn' then and said no one would ever believe that scene."

At the "Brooklyn" premiere, Schoenfeld described his songs as "soupopera," a mix of soul, pop and opera.

That combo pretty much describes what you hear on "American Idol" or what the late Jonathan Larson offered up over eight years ago with "Rent," and what its original stars, Adam Pascal and Idina Menzel brought to their respective follow-up hits, "Aida" and "Wicked." Songs that begin as ballads invariably build into loud anthems that dazzle, or stun, by testing the physical limits of the human voice.

To the casual listener, the Broadway sound is coming to resemble what people get on TV via "American Idol."

Espinosa, however, doesn't hear it that way. She subbed for Menzel last summer in "Wicked" and sees that music and what she sings in "Brooklyn" as much more "character-driven" than the "AI" fare. (As for all those prolonged octave-scraper notes, Espinosa says they "feel good" to sing and never hurt.)

Keller credits arranger John McDaniel with taking McPherson and Schoenfeld's songs, "which sounded like pop songs on the radio," and giving them a more theatrical shape. (Keller dittoes Espinosa's take on hammering a high note.)

Casting director Tara Rubin draws a distinction between Broadway and singing "AI"-style. "It's the difference between singing to tell a story and singing to impress with the voice," says Rubin, who casts "Bombay Dreams" and "Good Vibrations," and thinks both Gray and Guarini have the rare versatility to cross over to legit.

She says "American Idol" has brought talent to Broadway's attention that "we wouldn't otherwise have seen." In a way, the "AI" auditions have borrowed their scenario from Broadway. "It's what longrunning shows like 'Cats' and 'Les Miz' have been doing for 20 years," she says. "They go out and have these national talent searches."

"Good Vibrations" director John Carrafa credits that audition process with giving Guarini the necessary stage chops. "It is such a tough process," he says. "You have to learn how to hold a live audience. Otherwise, you get cut."

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