Reviews

Gays on Broadway by Ethan Mordden

kit_fox's review against another edition

informative

2.5

herbiehickmott's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

3.0

A very interesting and thorough chronicle of gay/queer actors on stage and gay/queer material. I especially liked when Mordden's personality, point of view, and not-so-silent observations came through. 

Generally, I liked the way it was structured (roughly by decades), but found the organization flimsy at times. The last chapter is titled "The Present" but spends a bulk of the pages talking about Edward Albee's work post-Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

meks17's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

3.0

the_kat_next_door's review

informative slow-paced

2.75

the_true_monroe's review

challenging funny informative slow-paced

3.5

I am so interested now in learning more about the tons of shows that were mentioned. But it was all over the place that I don’t even remember enough of what it was that I wanted to learn more about. Also, there was definitely extreme focus on certain shows with little reference to others that played a huge role in the history of queer rep on Broadway such as Falsettos and Rent which were both mentioned but Rent especially was barely so. While I don’t think I would have been able to stay focused enough to read a print copy, the audio book definitely did not help with my confusion/ losing track. Still very glad I learned about this book though as I truly learned a lot and with one of my special interests being theatre, this fits perfectly.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Sexual content

Minor: Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Infidelity, and Terminal illness

ensis's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

3.0

courtofsmutandstuff's review against another edition

informative

4.0

I enjoyed this! It was like trying to follow a lecture that was being given on a moving walkway, and made me want to take a survey class in this topic covering the books he discusses. I liked getting the introduction to seminal works (I had never heard of The Boys in the Band before) but the book "worked" the most for me when he discussed plays I had already read/seen. If you're looking for a deep dive, this isn't the book for you, but it is a good overview/introduction/survey. 
I especially liked that Mordden talks about how many gay stories, in order to get past the censors, were about seemingly hetero characters in order to tell queer stories. 
I also liked the narrator - it was very conversational and friendly.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

boundhobbies's review

informative medium-paced

3.5

3.5 rounded up. 
If you're looking to do some research on this topic, I'd recommend this. While I believe the author could have used some sensitivity readers, I think they did a good job with the history and evolution of gay representation and writers in theatre. I enjoyed that each play had some description of what it was about and we were given depth on certain characters being played. I expected more but was entertained with the amount given. It was informative and interesting. I'd say I was indifferent with the narrator. 

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC. 

woolfinbooks's review

informative

4.5

Gays on Broadway was a very interesting and accurate look into the connection between Broadway and the gay community. I loved the behind-the-scenes look into some of my favorite shows. Some of it is fairly basic Broadway gossip knowledge, but a lot of it was brand-new information to me. Which was quite surprising as I spent my youth studying the history of my favorites. The narrator's voice was relaxing and fit this book so well. Highly recommend this one.

dhnewman's review against another edition

informative lighthearted medium-paced

2.0

While an interesting history, it's written in a catty, insider-y, idiosyncratic style that makes it hard to really get into.