John M. Clum
Author of Something for the Boys: Musical Theater and Gay Culture
About the Author
John M. Clum is Professor of English and Professor of the Practice of Drama at Duke University.
Works by John M. Clum
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Clum, John MacKenzie
- Birthdate
- 1941-09-29
- Gender
- male
- Short biography
- Openly gay American playwright, author, theater historian, and elite university professor (he/him) who graduated with a BA from Washington and Lee University and earned his PhD from Princeton University. He is a prominent Professor Emeritus of Theater Studies and English at Duke University. A monumental scholar of LGBTQ+ dramatic literature, he is internationally celebrated for writing foundational academic masterworks—such as Acting Gay: Male Homosexuality in Modern Drama and Still Acting Gay—as well as penning acclaimed stage plays including Sanctuary and Randy's House. His dual legacy beautifully bridges the gap between radical queer performance history and rigorous text-based dramatic curation.
- Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- North Carolina, USA
Members
Reviews
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 show more 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. show less
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 12
- Members
- 339
- Popularity
- #70,284
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 1
- ISBNs
- 24