Misogyny and Musicals - A Discussion

In an article by The Washington Post titled "In some musicals of yore, female characters deserve better," journalist Peter Marks discusses just that: older musicals and their treatment of women characters. These shows, in the wake of things like the #metoo and Time's Up movements, can leave those of us watching it now feeling uncomfortable or angry. How can this art form, that is often used as a way of discussing hard to talk about issues, betray us by bringing some harmful ideas and ugly words right to the mouths of these beloved characters?

Is there a difference when shows use misogyny as a character flaw to be corrected? This week, as I was thinking about this article and what I wanted to say about it, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers kept coming to mind. I kept feeling like this show was somehow exempt from being labeled misogynistic because Adam and his brothers change their ways by the end of the show! They learn to respect their brides and become the gentlemen that Milly worked so hard to make them into!
But that doesn't change the fact that Adam, a mountain man obsessed with having a woman to cook and clean and bear his children, and his brothers kidnap young women, cause an avalanche so their mountain cabin cannot be reached until spring after comparing their situation to the rape of the Sabine Women with these lyrics:

"Oh they acted angry and annoyed/but secretly they was overjoyed"

Seven Brides is a musical that I love, but I don't know if the ending can justify the Pontipees.

Marks mentions a line from The Pajama Game where Sid says to Babe (in front of all of her coworkers) "All I can say is you're the cutest Grievance Committee I ever had to deal with." Sure it can be seen as flirty - and it starts off the budding relationship between Babe and Sid that develops throughout the show, but with reports that one in four people are affected by workplace harassment (and that's very conservative since the same report says that up to 75% of incidents go unreported) - it's not so flirty anymore. It's dangerous.
Again, I think it's easy to feel like The Pajama Game or good ol' Sid Sorokin should be spared the misogynist label because this show was written during the Golden Age when show dialogue, and real life dialogue, was often riddled with problematic words or phrases. Misogyny, sexual harassment, slapping your wife, etc. are brushed off as things that happened "in a different time." But those things are still happening and I wonder if that is in part because of the blind eye turned to it in various forms of entertainment. I think directors, actors and producers have the responsibility of making sure that this material is addressed.

But how do you do that without changing the show?

Is it a knowing look from the actor on stage who has to deliver the line or sing the song that they know what they're saying and don't agree with it, but they kind of have to say it?
Is it in the direction?
The acting choices?

That's why, like Peter Marks, I'm very interested to see how this year's revival of Carousel treats what has to be one of the most problematic librettos from the Golden Age (I talk about it in a previous post here).

This article left me with a lot of questions about how to make classic theatre pieces reflect the day and age we live in. And whether or not that is what theatre should be for.

I'd love to hear from you about this and actually turn this into a discussion rather than just blogging into the void. Let's chat on the Musical Theatre Monday Facebook Page!