RACE and GENDER in the BROADWAY CHORUS by Kellee
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RACE AND GENDER IN THE BROADWAY CHORUS by Kellee Rene Van Aken Undergraduate degree, University of Pittsburgh, 1988 Masters degree, University of California, Davis, 1991 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The College of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2006 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH College of Arts and Sciences This dissertation was presented By Kellee Rene Van Aken It was defended on November 20, 2006 and approved by Lynne Conner, Ph.D., Department of Theatre Arts Jane Feuer, Ph.D., Department of English Kathleen George, Ph.D., Department of Theatre Arts Kiki Gournaridou, Ph.D., Chair, Theatre Department, Smith College Dissertation Advisor: Attilio Favorini, Ph.D., Department of Theatre Arts ii Copyright © by Kellee Van Aken 2006 iii RACE AND GENDER IN THE BROADWAY CHORUS Kellee Van Aken, Ph.D University of Pittsburgh, 2006 Throughout the history of the American musical, the chorus, has remained a key component in the foundation of the form. The anonymous men and women who sing and dance help create the spectacle that is an intrinsic part of the musical. While the chorus line of fifty that characterized the revues in the early part of the twentieth-century has dwindled, for economic and aesthetic reasons, it has not disappeared. The role of the chorus has changed from a titillating backdrop for headlining stars to an accomplished ensemble of dancer/singers who may be the featured performers in their own right. This dissertation creates a cultural history of the chorus as it has evolved from the The Black Crook in 1866 to the beginning of the twenty–first-century. Specifically, how have the issues of sexuality, gender, race and class affected the development of the chorus? Chapter one is an overview of the history of the Broadway chorus, beginning with a brief look at the origins of the chorus in Greek drama, through various dance trends, the popularity of the revue, and the emergence of director/choreographers and their influence on the form. Chapter two investigates how gender informed the construction of the image of chorus girls and boys, and how that image was manipulated through the years to reflect social concerns and anxieties around the issue of changing gender roles. Along with the schism created by the performance of gender in the chorus, the performance of race also marks a serious divide in the American musical theatre world. Chapter three examines the history of African-American performers in the chorus. The chorus is one small, but significant, component of a musical. Yet, this usually anonymous group of performers has often figured as the subject of the story in a iv medium that admittedly, enjoys talking, singing and dancing about itself. The final chapter of this study looks at how the chorus as a subject functions in the musical by focusing on four examples that span fifty-two years: Allegro (1947), A Chorus Line (1975), and 42nd Street (1981), and Contact (1999). v TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction................................................................................................................................... 1 1.0 From the line to the ensemble ................................................................................... 11 1.1 KEY MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE CHORUS PRIOR TO 1866..... 12 1.2 THE BLACK CROOK.............................................................................................. 16 1.3 LONDON’S INFLUENCE – GAIETY, FLORODORA, AND TILLER GIRLS 19 1.4 ZIEGFELD’S FOLLIES ........................................................................................... 24 1.5 PROFESSIONALIZING THE CHORUS – UNION.............................................. 36 1.6 GEORGE BALANCHINE ........................................................................................ 41 1.7 TWEAKING THE LINE........................................................................................... 46 1.8 OKLAHOMA!............................................................................................................ 50 1.9 WEST SIDE STORY ................................................................................................. 57 1.10 BOB FOSSE AND MICHAEL BENNETT ............................................................. 62 1.11 MEGA-MUSICAL ..................................................................................................... 66 1.12 THE CHORUS TODAY............................................................................................ 69 1.13 CONCLUSION TO CHAPTER ONE...................................................................... 72 Notes To Chapter One................................................................................................................ 74 2.0 Gender in the Chorus ................................................................................................ 76 2.1 THE “LEG BUSINESS” ........................................................................................... 78 vi 2.2 LYDIA THOMPSON AND THE BRITISH BLONDES........................................ 81 2.3 GLAMOUR OVER GAMS – THE GAIETY GIRL .............................................. 84 2.4 WHAT ABOUT THE MEN? .................................................................................... 88 2.5 OPERETTA................................................................................................................ 93 2.6 SOCIAL DANCE ....................................................................................................... 95 2.7 THE 1910’S................................................................................................................. 96 2.8 THE 1920’S............................................................................................................... 100 2.9 1920’S CHORUS BOY ............................................................................................ 107 2.10 THE DEPRESSION................................................................................................. 111 2.11 BUSBY BERKELEY ............................................................................................... 114 2.12 1940’S BEAUTY AND ABILITY – THE BALLET GIRL.................................. 121 2.13 1940’S CHORUS MEN............................................................................................ 129 2.14 THE 1950’S............................................................................................................... 131 2.15 THE GAY CHORUS BOY...................................................................................... 134 2.16 BEEFCAKE.............................................................................................................. 139 2.17 RAZZLE DAZZLE.................................................................................................. 144 2.18 CONCLUSION TO CHAPTER TWO .................................................................. 148 Notes........................................................................................................................................... 150 3.0 African-American Chorus....................................................................................... 152 3.1 MINSTRELSY ......................................................................................................... 153 3.2 EARLY OPPORTUNITIES.................................................................................... 158 3.3 MOVING TOWARDS MUSICAL COMEDY...................................................... 161 3.4 EARLY MUSICAL COMEDY............................................................................... 166 vii 3.5 THE WHITMAN SISTERS.................................................................................... 177 3.6 SHUFFLE ALONG.................................................................................................. 179 3.7 HARLEM INVASION—LOSING CREATIVE CONTROL.............................. 184 3.8 DEPRESSION—THE REVUE GOES ON HIATUS. .......................................... 192 3.9 ADAPTING THE CLASSICS ................................................................................ 195 3.10 POST-WAR .............................................................................................................. 196 3.11 NEW GENRES—“NATIVE” OPERA AND GOSPEL PLAYS ......................... 200 3.12 INTEGRATING THE STAGE............................................................................... 209 3.13 BLACK MUSICAL TODAY .................................................................................. 218 3.14 CONCLUSION TO CHAPTER THREE .............................................................. 226 Notes to Chapter Three ............................................................................................................ 229 4.0 Chorus As Ensemble................................................................................................ 231 4.1 ALLEGRO—EXPERIMENTATION ................................................................... 232 4.2 A CHORUS LINE⎯BECOMING THE SUBJECT............................................. 242 4.3 42ND STREET⎯NOSTALGIA ............................................................................... 251 4.4 CONTACT⎯DANCE PLAY.................................................................................. 261 4.5 CONCLUSION TO CHAPTER FOUR................................................................. 269 Notes to Chapter Four.............................................................................................................