Something for the Boys: Musical Theater and Gay Culture

I have to COMPLETELY and UTTERLY disagree with the folks here tha point to "a place for us" as an alternative to this book. I thought Clum did an EXCELLENT job at relating his personal take on the world of Musical Theater and Gay culture - which is states in the book does not exist (I agree with him). Part of the problem in today's society is that people take too seriously that which is NOT to be taken seriously. This is MUSICAL THEATER, not death and taxes. I laughed out loud so many times that I lost count. Whereas that other book (place for us) - YUCK. There is one thing I can't stand in this world - "The Academic Suck." That snob from Columbia is just that, and academic suck - did anyone really like it when Bob Dole spoke about himself in third person - NO, except for the humor of it and that got old really fast. So comparing this book to Place for us by Miller is like comparing dykes on bikes and drag queens - or for you academic sucks - apples and oranges.

All right, I admit it. I'm straight and female, so I was curious about the gay subculture in broadway musicals. I never really understood the gay appeal of "Gypsy" and "Wizard of Oz" until I read this book. (Oh, so gays identify with Louise with her dominating mother and with her feelings of inadequancy? So gays understand Dorothy's loneliness until she experienced the colorful and accepting world of Oz? Now I get it!) I was able to see the Broadway musical through gay eyes and found the experience much richer than before. Being an uninformed straight, I needed a gay author to lay his cards on the table and tell me exactly WHY characters and divas appeal to gays.Therefore, I was pleased that this book was not another academic book on gay broadway, but was a gay man's personal experience with the theater. So what if his opinions did not jive with other gays? After all, who can really know why a particular musical appeals to a particular person? I liked his admittance that these were his own personal favorites, and to hell with the critics. I might have disagreed with his dismissing Liza Minnelli and Vanessa Williams as divas (if they aren't, who is?), but his "bitchy" (sorry) comments made it all worthwhile.The only complaint I have is about the godawful cover. Seeing a middle-aged man in drag is not pleasing to my eye. So there. I guess if Mr. Clum is entitled to his opinion, I'm entitled to mine.

I have to weigh in on the positive side for this absolutely terrific book on musical theater and gay culture. So much of what the academy churns out is unreadable nonsense. Finally, here is a learned book that is also wonderfully funny, bitchy even. Yes, as the reader below writes, some of what John writes is offensive and thank God for that because it's funnier than a tenure review meeting and only half as long! Offended readers, take a pill! Yes, I have noticed a few errors (people are just twisting themselves into knots over things like the capitalization of Mme. LuPone's name), but they are the fault of the proofing process (a fault that affects all publishers) and don't affect Clum's main thesis in the slightest. And, can I just ask who are all of these people weighing in and assessing John Clum's academic credentials? Oy! What a bunch of joyless blockheads. If you're looking for a good time, get this book. You'll love it and you'll laugh your head off along with Clum, one of the smartest critics writing today. Brava, Diva!

I read the first reader's comments below and I must completely disagree. I am a gay, musical-comedy fan from NYC and I think John Clum has written, probably, the best book on the subject that I have ever read. Having toiled in graduate school for many years and having received a number of degrees, it was refreshing to read a really smart book that uses all of the postmodern ideas that we've grown up with in a way that is accessible. I've become so TIRED of pomo-academy speak because, for all of its erudition, it really doesn't say anything. Here's a book that does in language that everyone can understand.I bought this book because of the review in OUT that said reading it was like getting a call from a friend who says -- Hey, I saw the greatest show last night! -- and that's exactly what I experienced when I read it. When my parents took me to see the original production of HELLO, DOLLY at the tender age of 9, they never knew what they were creating. Gay men seem to worry about liking musicals these days because they worry about the stereotype of the musical comedy queen. Do I worry about being thought of as a musical comedy queen? No. My partner and I have been together for over twelve years. I go to the gym and lift weights just like everyone else. I have a good job. I love musicals -- gay, straight, whatever. I don't care what anyone -- especially the academic thought police -- thinks about that and I absolutely loved this book.If you love musicals, and especially if you're gay, I'd give this one a try. And, yes, it will make a great Christmas gift for anyone on your list who cares about the state of the musical theater in America today.

This is a fascinating book. Clum is an academic but his style is smooth, gossipy and delicious. It makes you want to dust off your Ethel Merman records and play them all night long...