Cultural Identity in British Musical Theatre, 18901939

More about the book

Exploring the performance of 'Britishness' on the musical stage, this book delves into a significant era in British history, highlighting the musical stage's role in late-Victorian popular culture. It presents seven interconnected narratives through a re-examination of over fifty archival play-scripts. The first part addresses domestic identities and the complexities of nationhood, class, and gender, while the second part revisits themes of Empire and Otherness, culminating in reflections on the Great War and interwar period, portraying a nostalgic view of 'Britishness' amid national anxieties.