Each decade had different issues that popular plays would address. Some of these main themes included:
- Race: “The Other” in a play, that could be any racial or ethnic group that differs from the heroine race (Like in South Pacific, which versus Polynesian and white, while Minstrel Shows are a dichotomy between blacks and whites).
- Immigrants: These were often vilified and feared. They are acted against in US society today – they give the heroine a person to blame, or “someone else” to be the problem, and not themselves. These were them.
- Sexuality: Sexy, suggestive activities (like Aristophane’s oversized dildos, or Ziegfeld Follies’ Sex Sells Slogan), became an exploitation part of theater, yet Americans didn’t like to talk about sex, and became feared and backlashed.
Talking about Sexuality led to a breaking point in the 1940’s with Margaret Sanger, who was a major part of the Women’s Rights Movement. As back note, women would have numerous children back then and stay home. Some women could have anywhere between 10-20 pregnancies during their life, and yet due to the medical technology being less sophisticated, there were many unsuccessful births. Margaret thought that women would be able to control how many children they have, and they should be able to voice choice. Thus, she created Planned Parenthood.
The Kinsey Reports, by Alfred Kinsey, comprised of two books, “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male” and “Sexual Behavior in the Human Female”. The book was one of the first popular, open ideas of sexuality; talking about it openly in a tasteful manner, that was still anatomically and politically correct. After these reports came out, a new characterization of character for musicals came out. This was known as the “Sexual character that can’t say no”. It became popular in musicals afterwards.
With Planned Parenthood, and Kinsey, the 1960’s brought the Birth Control Pill, which completely changed the attitude of sex. Contraceptives were for the moment and rather dangerous back when. With the pill, women could choose. Sex, thus became more openly discussed, and rather than a comic figure of sexuality, it could become, ‘sexy’ or ‘sexual’. Women became less shameful figures, yet they could be depicted anywhere from likable, to not at all.
By the 1970’s gay characters start to emerge; presenting other sexualities being more openly accepted. Cabaret is one of these plays, but there was also Falsettoland, Kinkyboots, Avenue Q, and other post 70’s musicals that addressed the LGBTQ scene. The acceptance for different sexual preferences became broad, not just for gays, but transexual, homosexual, etc.
By the End of the 20th century and into the 21st, a new theme of Rebellion began. Being a rebel meant separating yourself from the central norm of your society. Rebels were appealing as long as they were “sympathetic” at the end. The people who are outlets, who try something that was disapproved; the underdog. I think Wicked attempts at this, since Elphaba has always been framed as the bad guy, yet in this musical, it starts before she had been framed that way. But because of The Wizard of Oz, our perception of her is already altered. The director, does, however evoke sympathy from the audience, after revealing Elphaba’s backstory and her intents being rather innocent rather than malicious like they are in the original film. In this way, she is a sympathetic underdog that “Defies Gravity” and the rules by surmounting herself to something more.
Another interesting fact was aimed at Film. All Hollywood studies were to sign and abide by a set of rules called the Production Code. They had sterile, stark rules about sexuality, words, and conduct on the screen. A very funny example of the production code rules was shown in Day in Hollywood, Night in Ukraine‘s music number, “Doin’ the Production Code”.
Check it out here:
Musical Theater As Social Commentary: Chicago 