Feminist Approaches to Musical Theatre

How does a feminist spectator navigate misogynist representations of women?

Musicals have always appealed to women as audience members and fans, even as most artists and producers were (and are) men.

Feminist Approaches in Musical Theatre untangles these contradictions that are woven into the very fabric of this beloved, unapologetically commercial art form. This book offers a concise history of feminism’s encounter with musicals and outlines methods through which to interpret musicals from a feminist perspective.

Through case studies of shows such as The Music Man, Evita, Fun Home, and SIX, Feminist Approaches outlines techniques for analyzing musical theatre from a feminist perspective, modelling these methods.

Published as part of the Topics in Musical Theatre series, this foundational book provides readers with an understanding of feminist approaches as well as offering a brief overview of how feminist theory informs the study of musicals themselves.

Stacy Wolf is Professor of Theater and American Studies at Princeton University. She is author of Beyond Broadway: The Pleasure and Promise of Musical Theatre Across America (2020); Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical (2011); and A Problem Like Maria: Gender and Sexuality in the American Musical (2002).