Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Masculinity In Musicals: A Comparison Between The 1950s And Present Day, Emily M. Eisenbrey

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This project compares and contrasts ideas of masculinity in musicals from the 1950s to those of present day. Current musicals have allowed for more expressions of masculinity while musicals from the 1950s provided a narrower definition of masculinity. This paper explores the current perception that straight men don’t enjoy musicals and breaks down why this perception exists. Multiple lines of evidence are used to examine the connection between masculinity and male audience attendance of musicals. These lines of evidence are: masculinity research, script analysis, performance analysis, reviews of musicals, and original surveys.