Why musicals are gay

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Password Please enter your Password. Forgot password? Don't have an account? Sign in via your Institution. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. We have documentation of a recognizable claque of musical theatre queens at one of Gilbert and Sullivan's gala opening nights. American musical comedy was thriving by the s. Harrigan and Hart's musical farces were distinctly American in their sound and point of view, which depicted minority groups fighting like hell but always resolving things democratically in the end.

Where were the queens? Sadly, we are not sure. The theatrical veterans of this era were gone before public discussion of homosexuality was possible, and no private diaries have surfaced.

But some circumstantial evidence is coming to light. He confirms that there was a visible homosexual presence in late 19th Century New York City, but hangouts were frequently suppressed due to public outrage. Mainstream society could accept the existence of prostitution, grinding poverty and blatant political corruption, but it refused to tolerate "deviant" lifestyles.

Outside of a few scattered bohemian enclaves like Greenwich Village, homosexuals were forced to remain invisible. That situation would soon change. In the carefully worded patter song "Am I Alone And Unobserved," Bunthorne confesses his aesthetic pretensions are a "sham" designed to win public admiration -- And everyone will say As you walk your flowery way If he's content With a vegetable love That would certainly not suit me, Why, what a most particularly Pure young man This pure young man must be.

Photograph: Carol Rosegg Hedwig and the Angry Inch The 10 best gay musicals of all time Gay-themed Broadway musicals have come a long way in the past fifty years. Written by Adam Feldman Tuesday June 29 Discover the best of the city, first. We already have this email. Try another? Hedwig and the Angry Inch Read more. La Cage Aux Folles A Strange Loop Falsettos Rent Fun Home A Chorus Line Avenue Q The Color Purple Similar beefcake photo spreads of officially straight actors John Travolta, Tony Danza, Treat Williams and Gregory Harrison shared After Dark 's pages with features covering gay fashion and the arts.

The old backstage balance of straight producers tolerating gay performers had long since come to an end. Gays now had a firm presence in every level of management and production. I realized six months into the road pre-Broadway tour on this show that the girls didn't have to worry about it; it was the guys who had a problem. The liberation of the s brought on a backlash.

So-called Christians tried to justify their personal bigotry by misinterpreting scripture and organizing into anti-gay activist groups that sought to outlaw gay civil rights. Jerry Falwell's self-entitled "Moral Majority" and former beauty queen Anita Bryant won several battles, but their only lasting accomplishment was to solidify the gay and lesbian community's resolve to organize and fight back.

You knew the world had changed when the composer of Annie and the lyricist of My Fair Lady both of whom were heterosexual gave Broadway its first gay love duet! Sad to say, the show had little else to offer and closed on its opening night.