John M. Clum

This entertaining survey looks at Broadway musicals of the last half of the 20th century, and tries to answer why they had such an appeal to gay men at the time. Perhaps, because I am about half a generation younger, or perhaps because most of my love of shows is from LPs, Clum's assessment seems to me to overemphasize the diva aspect of the phenomenon (as undeniable as that aspect is). The repeated emphasis on gays identifying with the women on stage qua women seems to me to be a relict of Clum's generation. Still, many of us are show queens and this book goes some why towards explaining why. The book falls somewhat awkwardly between several stools - part scholarly history, part reviews and (sometimes bitchy) personal reactions, part personal memoir - and the shift in tone and focus can be slightly annoying. Throughout it all, the writing remains lively and personal. The editing from St. Martin's Press is sloppy; even a casual reading turned up several appalling proofreading errors, sometimes affecting crucial points.… (more)