Queer Perspectives in Musical Theater and Pop Culture

Vocabulary flashcards covering key figures, concepts, and cultural milestones from lecture notes on queer perspectives in musical theater and popular media.

Integrated Musical

A musical format where music and book are combined together, exemplified by Oklahoma! (1943).

Boston Marriage

A historical term for two women who live together unmarried.

Sophie Tucker

Vaudeville star (1886-1966) nicknamed 'Red hot mama', known as extroverted, over the top, and bringing women's sexuality into the social sphere.

Marlene Dietrich

Performer (1901-1992) active before 1930 movie regulations, described as a confident, comfortable, masculine 'Femme Fatale'.

Mae West

Performer (1893-1988) known for explicit double entendres, described as an 'updated version of Sophie'.

Hays Code

Movie regulations prior to 1930 specifying what could not be shown in movies, which fell apart in the 1960s and was replaced by ratings.

Judith Butler

Author in the 'queer theory' genre and writer of Gender Trouble, whose core argument is 'everything we do in life is a performance.'

Noël Coward

British composer and performer known for songs like 'Mad About the Boy' and 'What's Going to Happen to the Tots?', featuring sarcastic wordplay and a prim, proper 1940s 'gay guy voice'.

Cole Porter

Wealthy American Yale graduate who wrote Kiss Me, Kate! and songs such as 'You're the Top', known for fun rhymes and cheeky slang.

D.A. Miller

Author of Place for Us, who analyzed integrated musical history, criticized showtunes as 'too much' or cringy, and addressed escapism fantasy vs. reality.

Judy Garland

Vaudeville child actor turned iconic film star (1922-1969) known for The Wizard of Oz and A Star Is Born (1954), whose death served as a trigger for Stonewall.

Sylvia Rivera

An important Stonewall figure active during the era when Judy Garland's death occurred days prior to the Stonewall riots.