Broadway Question referencing the American Dream

I convinced my professor to let me write my term paper on the American Dream and how Broadway interprets it in different ways, the like. She told me she wants me to be broad but specific and that I should come up with two groups that have themes in common, I was wondering if anyone could help me think of more for either group? [Preferably things that are on Broadway now- I've only seen 8 shows including the 4 mentioned before- so if you mention something on broadway I can at least go see it before my paper is due.]

Group A: Rent, In The Heights - More Happy oriented
Group B: Is He Dead?, Legally Blonde (stretch, I know) - More Success/ Money oriented

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I'd also recommend the songs "A Shtetl is America," "Success," amd "Wheels of a Dream" from Ragtime.

I'd also recommend going to a library and not relying on a message board to do your homework for you

---

Do you want just shows currently running and just musicals?

Because any discussion of how theatre interprets the American Dream is incomplete without including DEATH OF A SALESMAN.

Then of course there is Albee's THE AMERICAN DREAM. Tennesee William's THE GLASS MENAGERIE would be interesting to compare and contrast with SALESMAN, though I'm sure that's been done many times before.


As far as musicals go, one of the best examinations of the dark side of the American Dream has to be ASSASSINS.

---

You should definitely use RAGTIME