The "Queering" of Broadway -- Agree or Disagree?

Posted: 5/21/05 at 12:10am

There exists a debate that in the last few year Broadway has become a ground of "gay" humor and inneuendo, and is fixated on a "queer" agenda. As a result, the argument goes, mainstream audience are turning on their backs on live theatre as the recipent of their discretionery entertainment dollar.

Do you agree or disagree, and why?

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 12:14am

That might be the dumbest thing I've ever read.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 12:21am

I think that, if anything, Broadway has started reaching out to larger audiences, moving from what was once perceived as the exclusive province of gay men. True, there are some polar examples like Mario Cantone who play their homosexuality as their key feature, but I think we've come a long way from Joshua Logan's productions.

Posted: 5/21/05 at 12:41am

Disagree. Disagree. Disagree.

[cturtle]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 12:42am

omg ... there was something queer about josh logan's productions???

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 12:43am

As a high school student, I do think it is true to a certain extent. When people find out that my passion is live theatre, they automatically ask, "So are you gay?!" It gets tiring after awhile, so now I just say "No" and explain that broadway and live theatre is not just for "gay people." So, yes a lot of kids MY age avoid Broadway and live theatre just so they arn't pegged as being gay.

But I do think that the broadway community shows that broadway is more for gays. Just look at the Broadway Bares event.

However, shows like Spamalot is widening the audience range.

Updated On: 5/21/05 at 12:43 AM

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 1:02am

Well no offense but High school students aren't making up the majority of the theatre going audience. Well maybe in Rent, Brooklyn and Wicked...JK. Really they're not buying tickets. It's the baby boomers and older. And honestly it has nothing to do with homosexuality. Actually most people going to theatre are New Yorkers and are pretty liberal. There may be a few tourists here and there but Generally NJ, NY and parts of PA are known as liberal. The reason why theatre has declined is a combination of many things. Remember Theatre as a form started to decline a bit in the 70's, once the golden age was over. That was long before widespread homosexual acceptance was made light of in any medium. It was the creation of Television and Rock and ROll that started it. People started staying home to get entertained and the music people were hearing no longer reflected what the radio played and what was consider top on the charts. So Broadway became this elistist thing. Actually with more pop musicals it's becoming a hint more popular than it was in the 80's. Besides it's now too damn expensive to go to the theatre for families and many middle class people. THAT'S what's keeping people away.
Updated On: 5/21/05 at 01:02 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 1:08am

It was ever thus.

Is David Mamet queerified? Is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? Is Spamalot? Is Light in the Piazza? Is The Lion King?

The question itself smacks of homophobia, either external or internal.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 1:20am

But in a few years, high school students will be the majority.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 1:29am

IN about 15 years they will be the majority...and high school kids should grow up by then. Who knows what the world will be like.

PS where do you go to school?

[cturtle]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 1:31am

i shudder at the thought of the world in 15 years ... ha

[EugLoven]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 1:37am

Whoa Whoa Whoa!
You mean to tell me there's QUEERS on BROADWAY now!!??
When did that happen?
*shocked*

[Tirso de Molina]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 1:45am

Not that there's anything wrong with it!

[ticenewyorkcity]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 2:01am

what an insult...
WHOEVER said that originally is homophobic

what a sad sad thought to think that people are turned away by gay people in the theatre

it's ok to see them on tv and on film but not in the theatre.

Honey if it wasn't for us there would probably be no theatre...no Zanna, Bare, Rent, Aida, Producer and on and on.

I am speaking for myself but probably for a lot of others like me....

I am who I am and if you do not like it don't talk about it.

Since film seems to be so scared to discuss homosexuality I AM proud that the broadway community has stepped up to the task. while it may be making fun of it it is atleast aknowledged///

we are here to stay

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 2:07am

I go to James B. Conant hs

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 2:09am

I meant what part of the country. I have no clue where that school is.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 2:13am

Suburb on chicago

[ShuQ]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 2:52am

I think maybe you guys are reading the question wrong. But I will say this, and thought about this my past visit to Broadway. Think of how many shows have a queer
All Shook Up
Avenue Q
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Hairspray
La Cage
Naked Boys Singing
Spamalot
The Producers

And these are only the shows I've seen...I'm sure there are many more. I don't think it was something to be taken offensively. But I would like to see a show without a gay reference...I just think it's become a cheap laugh.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 3:03am

I don't think I'm reading the question incorrectly..it's pretty self explanitory. I certainly wasn't offended by anything.

[Marquise]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 3:12am

Theatre will never be the same until the gays are out.

[Justice]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 3:17am

Succesful Gay themed shows:

Take Me Out
Rent
La Cage Aux Follies
The Boy From Oz (Thanks to Hugh's popularity on this one)
Avenue Q
and many more.

Theatre has always been more accepting of homosexuality than mainstream films. I totally disagree with that comment, as gay themed plays have been on Broadway before anyone in a Hollywood film played a noteably gay role.
If people were turning their backs, wouldn't Rent have closed a long time ago?

[cserannie]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 3:34am

who is queer in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels???!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 4:00am

Well, beyond every other argument, Broadway theatre attendance has been UP each of the the last four years (since (9-11), so, so much for any argument saying the "gays" are driving people away. MORE are coming to theatre now than before, despite the prices.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 4:29am

In the original argument, is there a time frame during which this change supposedly took place? In the past 30 years, there has been a definite increase in the gay characters on Broadway (as in, there actually are openly gay characters), so that could be the "gay agenda" referenced. About 30 years ago also begins the decline of the "Golden Age" of Broadway, the Rodgers & Hammerstein-family-friendly type of musicals. I don't believe there's a link between the two, but the coincidence in the timing may be where the argument behind this theory stemmed from.

I just wanted to logically think through this argument through before I disagreed. The majority of mainstream, popular, long-running shows during this time period do not reflect a "gay agenda", and the ones that do are not trying to appeal to the family-friendly audiences in the first place.

As for the mainstream audiences turning their backs on live theater, maybe the argument should instead focus on the correlation between increasing ticket prices and the decline in attendance, instead of coming up with Pat Robertson-inspired conspiracy theories.

[badkarma719]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 4:33am

I think it has two sides and everyone had touched on them both

one
its true the vast majority of male actores on Broadway are gay, you do have a few str8 ones (cough) Matt Morrison (cough)

and B

Todays shows do tend to take a 'gay' theme to them, I was up in NYc in March and saw 6 shows, out of them one did NOT have a dealing with a gay theme somewhere in the plot, (it was Little Women) All shook up, La cage, Rent, Momma Mia, Hairspray. This month I bought 4 new cast albums of them 1 does not deal woth it. Oddly enough it was LW again, sorry but I do concider Alter Boyz a gay theme (i haven't seen the show so I do not know, but listening to the music, there are some places that make me question it (someone that knows it better may be able to answer that for me) the other was Spamalot, and I'm sorry but there is an entire song devoted to lancalot coming out, and then he get married in the end. Thats just gay. The fourth was Forbiden b-way SVU, and thats questionable..

I have 1 more cast album ordered and its All shook up


So yes Broadway is turning gayer, when I saw Rent, behind me was a gay couple and it was there first show together, they were from Oklahoma, beside me was a father and son, from Texas, they squirmed when Angel and Collins kissed and blah blah blah, so they left at intermission.

It could be argued that a certain person cast in LW causes the story to be gayified if you fell like it but lets not


ANd please explain what you meant???

Theatre will never be the same until the gays are out.



ok off the soap box