The evolution of the images of African-American characters in the American commercial musical. (Volumes I and II).
Item
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Title
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The evolution of the images of African-American characters in the American commercial musical. (Volumes I and II).
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Identifier
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AAI9207054
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identifier
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9207054
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Creator
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Burdine, Warren Buster, Jr.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Glenn Loney
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Date
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1991
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Theater | Black Studies
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Abstract
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This dissertation examines the evolution of the images portrayed of African-Americans in the American commercial musical theatre. Eight distinct eras are scrutinized in regard to trends in the structure and content of the shows, and the characterizations of blacks in musicals featuring a predominantly black cast or a black-themed story line.;The myths and stereotypes concerning African-Americans which were enacted by black characters in these musicals will be examined to determine both their origins and any measure of truth they contain. Such elements as the plays and entertainments of England's Elizabethan era, the nineteenth century American minstrel show, and the "peculiar institution" of American slavery will be examined in terms of how they shaped the images and stereotypes portrayed by black performers on the American musical stage.;Select librettos of major Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals will be scrutinized in relation to the images that their respective authors presented of black characters. Special emphasis will be placed throughout the thesis on how the images changed over the decades--from the Williams & Walker Company operettas in the first decade of this century, to the most recent musicals. Attention will be paid to the symbiotic relationship between the images portrayed by black characters on the musical stage, and how these images accurately mirrored the perceptions that the larger American society had of blacks in the era being studied.;Not only will black-themed shows with predominantly black casts be examined, but "white" musicals which feature important black characters and issues concerning the relationship between the races will receive attention as well.;Sources consulted will include the librettos of select musicals, newspaper and magazine articles and reviews of the shows to be discussed, biographies and autobiographies of major artists, and reference books written about the musical theatre. The evolution of the images of black characters on the musical stage will, in some instances, be compared to that of his counterparts in fiction and nonmusical dramas.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
