Hairspray: Racism In Theatres

“Broadway” is the name of one of the most famous streets in the world. The road had humble beginnings, as it was not always this luminous roadway. In the time of the Dutch, the street was a wide country road called “Breedeweg.” The street received its label because of its wideness (“broad”) that led from the entrance of the Old Fort to be the area soldiers could drill.

Musicals launched in England in the late 19th century by combining short operas with singing and dancing. It was not until musicals came to the Theater District in the United States on Broadway in New York City during the early 20th century that they became popular. The Theatre District is located between 41st and 53rd street and positioned between Sixth and Ninth Avenues in Manhattan. The district is made up of about 40 theatres and expands to nation wide tours as well as

international tours. Broadway theatregoers are dazzled every day of the week except Monday. Mondays are referred to as “dark.” On Saturdays and/or Sundays, there are two performances a day. One show is at 2:00 or 3:00 PM and the other is at 7:30 or 8:00 PM.
The first Broadway musical I can remember going to see was Annie. I was in fourth grade and I was involved in my local elementary school’s production of Annie Junior. I remember how mesmerized I was by the action on the stage in front of me. All of those girls are up on that stage acting for fun... I want to do that. I remember thinking that right as they began to sing the recognizable song, “It’s The Hard Knock Life.” Seeing that musical had changed my short life for the better. It was from then on that I was dedicated to my singing, dancing, and acting lessons. Musical theatre has become a large part of my life and has influenced many of my decisions. There are an abundance of reasons why I love theatre. While taking my final bow on my high school stage as “Dolly” in Hello, Dolly!, I decided that musical theatre is my true passion and I should study my passion. The next day, I made a phone call to Saint Joseph’s University changing my major from Communications to Theatre and Film.
Every musical ever produced demonstrates a different time and place; some are fictional and some are not. For example, Annie takes place during the Great Depression in New York City, Les Miserables is set in early nineteenth century France, and The Wizard of Oz takes place in Kansas and “Over the Rainbow” in the land of “Oz.” Broadway musicals have the ability to take us places we would normally never encounter (i.e. early nineteenth century France). What will take an audience to that “far away,” magical place, are the sets, costumes and of course, the actors! A Broadway show will never cease to have incredible backgrounds, costuming, and talented performers. When it comes to “The Great White Way,” no penny will be spared and nothing will be forgotten. This only transforms the show, makes it more realistic, and helps to take the audience on a journey.
Broadway is a billion dollar industry. In the year of 2010-2011, about fifteen new musicals were produced. Each musical was produced at an average of $9,660,000. To operate these musicals for about 1,142 weeks (a little over three years) costs an average of about $589,754 (Davenport). These exorbitant amounts of money are used to take the audience out of their seat in Manhattan and bring them on incredible, magical adventures.
Much of what makes Broadway so special is the people sitting in the velvet chairs beyond the stage. There is something so astounding about thousands of people paying hundreds of dollars almost every day of the week to watch these enchanting performances. In the year of 2013-2014, 8.52 million tourists were admitted into Broadway theatres. The tourists represented seventy percent of all theatregoers that season. Sixty-seven percent of those audience members were female. The average age of the audiences was forty-four years old and eighty percent were affluent Caucasians. These shows are exceptionally well advertised. Billboards, commercials, and many other advertisement sources prompted at least twenty-five percent of the audience to select the show they went to see (Demographics).
Audience members are not only taken on an emotional escape, but musical theatre has the power to impact the way an audience member views a social issue.

These shows can deal with heavy social issues in a light fashion (Jacobs). For example, Hairspray is a musical about racially segregated life in Baltimore during the early 1960s. This was a time when African Americans were given the freedom to vote and legally voice their opinions in society. Hairspray was produced on a Broadway stage in the late 1990s and early 2000s during a time when racism was prevalent through many racist occurrences and social disturbances. The musical ends with the African American teenagers being allowed to perform on the Corny Collin’s show everyday with the white teenagers. The messages sent from this musical can resonate with the people of the 1960s and the people of today because both have and are still having experiences dealing with racism. The “happy ending” that Hairspray presents the audience with, takes the audience away from this crazy, hectic, racist world for about three hours and has to power to change someone’s views for the

better.
Hairspray is only one example of the many musicals that touch upon social injustice. Many other examples would include South Pacific, which is about a woman who falls in love with a man and does not accept his interracial children from a previous woman. Wicked is a musical about a girl who has always been judged for the green skin with which she was born. Spring Awakening is a musical about teenagers who deal with and learn about homosexuality, abortion, rape, abuse, and suicide. These musicals were created to touch the lives of the audience members and possibly change the way they view the world for the better. They can give a theatregoer a sense of belonging or being a part of something very special. They can provide someone comfort in knowing that they are not alone.