Musical Theatre Since 1970

This course is a survey of the history and aesthetics of the American musical theatre since the innovations to the form in the 1970's. This course will examine new developments in musical theatre history in the last half-century. Beginning with the works of Stephen Sondheim and advancing through the 1980's 'megamusical,' rock operas, to contemporary hits that engage with crucial questions of gender, sexuality race and ethnicity that are central to American cultural identity and society today, we will engage with a broad range of works created by leading artists in the American musical theatre.