Diva Worship, Misogyny, and the State of (mostly cis)Gender in theater
Like I said, I’ll be reviewing shows on Theatr, but there’s only so much I can say on there, and it’s show by show… I have some larger things to say, plus I also just saw Audra, so… let’s get cracking, shall we?
I touched on some of this in “Blood, Sweat, and Tears,” but there’s always more to say, even after this one.
Full transparency: I am on a lifelong journey to unlearn my misogyny, internalized and otherwise. It does show up, especially in my taste in art and people, but I’m investigating it, as should we all. I’m going to go light on ripping on shows that have closed or are about to close (you know which ones) but it’s worth mentioning they exist and are pertinent.
Let me take you back to Christmas of 2006. A movie premiered based on a musical from the 80s, starring a Reality TV star (who is now an EGOT), a Pop Star (who is literally one of THE STARS OF POP), and a Tony Winner (who would later become a Disney Princess, and yet they cut her big song from this movie, grr). The movie is called Dreamgirls. The heart of the story, its origins, and the discourse surrounding that movie is to stop pitting women against each other; they’re all great. Also, palatability and proximity to whiteness.
WHY AM I TALKING ABOUT THE DREAMGIRLS MOVIE? IT’S BEEN 18 YEARS. Oh, I’m so glad you asked. No one has learned anything. We’ve only gotten worse.
To round out the preamble, I’ll bring up the obvious analogy of the Wicked discourse around Cynthia and Ariana… there’s no equivalent to Anika in Dreamgirls. Still, I need people to know she deserved better. These women are being inundated with weirdness and also some of the biggest honors of their lives at the same time, no wonder they cry so much.
Now, back to my comfort zone of Broadway… Here’s some of what I notice going on.
Character-wise, Norma is a has-been and Rose fought an uphill battle because she never was. Norma is seen as older and fragile, and Rose is angry and strong. These current portrayals really dip in and out of that notion. There’s some beautiful nuance going on (I am a Mandy person, but I can acknowledge the craft in Ms. Scherzinger’s work, too). And even I am guilty then of picking “a side.” They’re not in competition. And even when the Tonys arrive, it’s Audra v Nicole, and maybe also v Jen or whomever else cause we’re also getting Smash and L5Y… I really don’t care who wins the damn trophy anymore, and I don’t know why I ever did.
And part of it is this. Audra McDonald has more Tonys than any performer. Gender aside. Race aside. Living or dead. She IS that person. But it still doesn’t matter. Because she is literally tone-policed every step of the way. And she still feels like and maybe even does have something to prove. And watching her fight as Rose to be seen and validated doing something she dreamed of… I have never related to her more. This is my leave Britney alone moment. You can’t do half of what this woman can. She acts the crap out of “Rose’s Turn” even if she doesn’t sing it the way you are used to or I am used to. And her voice is hers, and it’s beautiful, and it has its own way of expression. And some Roses haven’t been able to sing whatsoever and still got acclaim. That fire in her heart, that inability to call it quits, that longing for acceptance is especially present in her Rose. She is a star. And she’s also human. The character and Audra. The women playing June and Louise also humanized the hell out of their roles this time around, and they all felt like family.
Back to Sunset Boulevard. I didn’t have this much love for Sir Lloyd Webber on my 2024 bingo card. The production is controversial. The cast is controversial. And much like when Dolly had an alternate… many people, myself included, have our preferred leading lady. Among many things, Mandy Gonzalez brings a more conventional Broadway lens to the show that I adore. But all of these women have a story to tell.
I would also like to know why we keep having men direct these stories by men about “crazy” women. To what end? The first time I wrote about feminine rage and theatre was in 10th grade for English class… shout out, Dr. Lutz, that poor man who saw me through some really dark times. Feminine rage as a genre really caught on since then to mixed results. But whose perspective is centered is very important. And the dynamics and nuance in these revivals are commendable, even if I still think there’s room to grow and new stories to tell. At least these revivals are both new ways to tell old stories.
Considering my thesis, this is rather ironic, but comparing an actor to their predecessor in a role isn’t entirely fair since every person is unique. It is worth noting that Audra is the first woman of color to play Rose. Nicole and Mandy are both women of color playing Norma. And they are catching a lot of heat. Some of it racist. Some of it misogynistic. Some of it warranted and about ignorant choices. A lot of it about vocal style… but some of it’s bullshit though.
No show is perfect right now. There’s a lot of stuff going on. And with these shows. My primary problems lie not with shows themselves. But the audiences. The etiquette is bad. And the takes are really, really bad.
Speaking of bad takes, a quick glance at plays. Everyone does it to an extent, but this is one of the gay community’s nasty habits. There’s putting women on a pedestal. There’s pitting women against each other. And then there’s the wanting to get rid of them altogether.
If I had a dollar for every time I saw a cisgender man misgender Cole Escola and/or complain that the Mary understudies and replacement are all women… I’d have enough money for a premium ticket to Oh, Mary! on a night Cole is playing Mary.
A valid critique would’ve been to note the lack of trans and nonbinary performers if the original main cast of five people didn’t have two trans/nonbinary performers. And there’s no shortage of queer men; hello, they got half the stars of the Fire Island movie. What it tells me when people complain about women playing women is that you want to see the show as a chance to laugh at misogyny. Also, you don’t understand or respect the creator’s identity as a nonbinary person or vision for the piece. Again, my issue is with the audience. Not the artists.
Romeo and Juliet does a lot of gender-bending/blending that landed ok for me. It led to more violence against women onstage, which I don’t love. But stage violence, gendered or otherwise, is another hot topic. I was distracted by yet another issue that I’m not at liberty to speak on entirely… but it is gender-based and relevant to another similar prominent theater issue: star casting and the objectification of men. That could be its own piece. Dare I say, a twink piece?
I think part of why I love Maybe Happy Ending so much is that even though they are clearly straight and gendered, they are less restricted by our social norms because they’re robots.
I have empathy, compassion, and respect for the plant and fictional robots. Maybe someday, the general public will start to have some for the actual real human women who are giving their all starring in Broadway.
Happy New Year, darlings… and buckle up for 2025.
