In this chapter, I make two interconnected observations. I first consider how musicals inhabit and promote a ‘post-truth’ worldview similar to those reflected in current populist resurgences throughout the West. I argue that it is musical theater’s penchant for the unreal that in recent decades has given it traction within both secular,…[Read more]

Musicologist and dance historian Samuel N. Dorf reflects on the role or purpose of the pre-performance lecture, especially at a time when tragedy extends outside the theatre into the local community.