Threaded Order Chronological Order
| Musical Theater and Gay Culture | |
| Last Edit: broadwaybacker 10:04 am EDT 08/19/17 | |
| Posted by: broadwaybacker 10:02 am EDT 08/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| As a straight and aging guy who was raised with a love of musical theater (my grandmother took me to see the original run of South Pacific when I was five and I still have some vague memories of the day) I got to thinking about why and when musical theater became such a "staple" (for lack of a better work) of the gay male community, especially given how back in the Golden Age the themes of so many of the great shows were so hetero/romantic. Today, the term "Theater Queen" is readily embraced by many as I understand it. So I actually began to research the issue and much to my surprise, the precise subject has been written about in a myriad of articles and at least two books. The first is "Place For Us" by D. A. Miller, a literary critic and English professor emeritus at Berkeley, and the other is "Something for the Boys: Musical Theater and Gay Culture" by John A. Clum, professor emeritus of theater studies at Duke. (Miller had a Ph.D from Harvard and Clum has his from Princeton, so these are true academics.) So first I was wondering if any of you are familiar with these books and if they'd be worth reading, and second I was wondering if this might be an interesting topic to discuss. |
|
| reply to this message |
| I reread both in June! (and more recommendations and resources) | |
| Posted by: GabbyGerard 03:54 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| In reply to: Musical Theater and Gay Culture - broadwaybacker 10:02 am EDT 08/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| I was writing an article about musical theatre and homosexuality and reread both Miller and Clum. I wouldn't really recommend Miller, which ends up being more personal essay than analysis. However, I adore Clum. His book mixes personal narrative with far more insightful analysis. I wish he would release an updated edition. I also highly recommend the writing of Stacy Wolf as a complement to Clum. Her area of focus is on queer female readings of the musical (i.e., lesbian interpretations). Her book A Problem Like Maria: Gender and Sexuality in the American Musical is FANTASTIC. It has individual sections dedicated to the queer followings, personae, and appeal of Mary Martin, Ethel Merman, Julie Andres, and Barbra Streisand. There's a decent chapter on musical theatre and homosexuality in Raymond Knapp's highly academic The American Musical and the Performance of Personal Identity. You might also check out a 2016 dissertation from the University of Birmingham by James Michael Lovelock called "Not Just for Gays Anymore": Men, Masculinities and Musical Theatre. Dissertation." I found his research problematic, but there are some interesting ideas and findings. For a more accessible--both practically and intellectually--check out John Kenrick's Our Love Is Here To Stay: Gays and Musicals" on Musicals 101.com: http://www.musicals101.com/ourlove.htm |
|
| reply to this message |
| re: I reread both in June! (and more recommendations and resources) | |
| Posted by: JohnDunlop 10:57 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| In reply to: I reread both in June! (and more recommendations and resources) - GabbyGerard 03:54 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| I remember being slightly disappointed with A PROBLEM LIKE MARIA. It is understood that it would been unlikely to see any of the four ladies in person in a musical. But, she could have attended a Streisand concert. The book is available on Amazon. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| Cum's Problematic Scholarship | |
| Posted by: BruceinIthaca 09:33 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| In reply to: I reread both in June! (and more recommendations and resources) - GabbyGerard 03:54 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| You may adore Clum, but I am always irritated and surprised by the number of factual errors I find in his books (no, I can't cite them off the top of my head, as it's been some years since I've read any of them--never went back for a second read once I started spotting errors). Given that he was on the Duke faculty and that his scholarly books are from good university presses, I was both sad and angry to find I could not assume he or his editors had done a solid job of fact-checking. So, proceed with caution--if you find his theories and analyses useful, good (I didn't--they seemed very simplistic to me), but if you are thinking of citing any of his representations of factual information, I'd advise finding a back-up source to verify. I love the Miller book. It is sui generis, as others have suggested, a kind of early queer theory cum personal narrative about musical theatre and queer identity, but fascinating on its own terms. And I found his analysis of Gypsy's central place in queer musical fandom very intelligent and useful. |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: CRum's Problematic Scholarship | |
| Posted by: BruceinIthaca 09:34 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| In reply to: Cum's Problematic Scholarship - BruceinIthaca 09:33 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| Sorry, Crum--working with an ornery keyboard. Should have double-checked. No double entendre intended. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: I reread both in June! (and more recommendations and resources) | |
| Posted by: WWriter 07:23 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| In reply to: I reread both in June! (and more recommendations and resources) - GabbyGerard 03:54 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| Just went on my library's website to put A Problem Like Maria on hold (thanks for the recommendation!). And I got this message: "Did you mean: a prophet like moses?" No, actually, I didn't. |
|
| Link | Show Showdown |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| I love Knapp's work | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 04:01 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| In reply to: I reread both in June! (and more recommendations and resources) - GabbyGerard 03:54 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| Good suggestions, Gabby! Laura |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Musical Theater and Gay Culture | |
| Posted by: ryhog 01:34 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| In reply to: Musical Theater and Gay Culture - broadwaybacker 10:02 am EDT 08/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| I remember reading the incredibly verbally dense Miller book maybe 20 years ago. It has some insight, and I remember a few passages that I found entertaining. I would say worth reading in light of your interest. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Musical Theater and Gay Culture | |
| Posted by: richmurphy 11:23 am EDT 08/19/17 | |
| In reply to: Musical Theater and Gay Culture - broadwaybacker 10:02 am EDT 08/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| A very interesting topic. When I was a child, Broadway musicals were definitely mainstream, thanks to the Lerner and Loewe/Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes becoming pop standards, and Ed Sullivan regularly presenting excerpts from the latest Broadway shows to prime time television audiences (back when those audiences had only five or six channels at the most from which to choose). My thought is that the change started in the 1970s. A string of mostly dreadful movies (A Little Night Music, Song of Norway, At Long Last Love, Mame, et al.) turned middle America away from musicals, while Broadway and its audiences were transformed by daring, innovative works like A CHORUS LINE. |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
| re: Musical Theater and Gay Culture | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 12:22 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Musical Theater and Gay Culture - richmurphy 11:23 am EDT 08/19/17 | |
|
|
|
| Clum discusses that in detail. I enjoyed his book, and he does know his theatre history. As an aging, straight woman, however, I'm not in the best position to assess how well he has represented gay culture. Laura |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
Time to render: 0.022839 seconds.