{"product_id":"gays-on-broadway-9780190063108","title":"Gays on Broadway","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eA fascinating look at the gay and lesbian influence on the American stage by an internationally-recognized authority on the topic\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the genteel female impersonators of the 1910s to the raucous drag queens of\u003cem\u003e La Cage Aux Folles\u003c\/em\u003e, from the men of \u003cem\u003eThe Normal Heart \u003c\/em\u003eto the women of\u003cem\u003e Fun Home\u003c\/em\u003e, and from Eva Le Gallienne and Tallulah Bankhead to Tennessee Williams and Nathan Lane, \u003cem\u003eGays On Broadway \u003c\/em\u003edeftly chronicles the plays and people that brought gay culture to Broadway. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWriting with his customary verve and wit, author Ethan Mordden follows the steady liberation of gay themes on the American stage. The story begins in the early twentieth century, when gay characters were virtually banned from productions. The 1920s saw a flurry of plays closed on moral grounds as well as the Wales Padlock Act, which forbade representation of \"sex degeneracy\". While authorities made consistent attempts to shutter the movement, the public remained curious, and after a few decades of war making, a truce broke out when \u003cem\u003eThe Boys In the Band \u003c\/em\u003ebecame a national smash hit. From this point on, gay theatre proved simply too popular to abolish. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith this change, theatre was graced with a host of unforgettable characters - from thrill killers to historical figures to drag performers, as well as professional gays (such as the defiantly effeminate window dresser in \u003cem\u003eKiss of the Spider Woman\u003c\/em\u003e), closeted gays, and those run-of-the-mill citizens who don't reside entirely within the colorful nonconformist identity (such as the two male lovers in the dinner-theatre comedy \u003cem\u003eNorman, Is That You?\u003c\/em\u003e). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSpoken plays and musicals, playwrights, directors, and actors all played their part in popularizing the gay movement through art.\u003cem\u003e Gays on Broadway \u003c\/em\u003eis an essential chronological review of the long journey to bring the culture of gay men and women onto the American stage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthan Mordde\u003c\/strong\u003en is a recognized expert on American musical theatre and the author of \u003cem\u003eWhen Broadway Went to Hollywood, Anything Goes: A History of American Musical Theatre, Beautiful Mornin, Coming Up Roses: The Broadway Musical in the 1950s and Sondheim: An Opinionated Guide\u003c\/em\u003e, all published by Oxford University Press. His writing has been featured in \u003cem\u003eThe Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eThe New Yorker.\u003c\/em\u003e His numerous books include friendly introductions to opera and film, as well as five collections of short stories chronicling gay life in New York City. He lives in Manhattan.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50627632857362,"sku":"9780190063108","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/gays-on-broadway-9780190063108","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}