Stagestruck: Theater, AIDS, and the Marketing of Gay America
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.28 (648 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0822322641 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 176 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-12-20 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Written with a powerful and personal voice, Schulman’s book is part gossipy narrative, part behind-the-scenes glimpse into the New York theater culture, and part polemic on how mainstream artists co-opt the work of “marginal” artists to give an air of diversity and authenticity to their own work. Then, to provide a cultural context for the emergence of Rent—which Schulman experienced first-hand as a weekly theater critic forthe New York Press at the time of Rent’s premiere—she reveals in rich detail the off- and off-off-Broadway theater scene of the time. Schulman brings her discussion full circle with an incisive look at how gay and lesbian culture has become rapidly commodified, not only by mainstream theater productions such as Rent but also by its reducti
As in her best novels, Schulman's observations on culture and politics are astute and startlingly original. --Michael Bronski. She did not particularly like the show and resented what she saw as its easy and simple-minded appropriation of the East Village's gay and alternative cultures. While working as a theater critic for Manhattan's New York Press in 1996, novelist Sarah Schulman reviewed the original off-Broadway production of the eventual worldwide hit Rent. It was only later, when a friend pointed it out to her, that she began to s
Trish T. said Five Stars. As always Sarah Schulman is terrific!!!. "I don't see the connection" according to Tom. Having read "People in Trouble", I can't see how her book was used as a basis for RENT. Without that connection, the thesis of this book falls apart. She seems to be angry that a straight male wrote a hit play with gay charcters.. "Compelling Yet Annoying" according to A Customer. I find Schulman's story completely fascinating: what it must have been like to summarily ignored and dismissed by people form several communitites in and around the RENT phenomena is nothing short of amazing. I also find her radical politics incredibly invigorating. Schu