A Problem Like Maria: Gender and Sexuality in the American Musical

by Stacy Wolf

Subverting assumptions that American musical theater is steeped in nostalgia, cheap sentiment, misogyny, and homophobia, this book shows how musicals of the 1950s and early 1960s celebrated strong women characters who defied the era's gender expectations. A Problem Like Maria reexamines the roles, careers, and performances of four of musical theater's greatest stars--Mary Martin, Ethel Merman, Julie Andrews, and Barbra Streisand--through a lesbian feminist lens. Focusing on both star persona and performance, Stacy Wolf argues that each of her subjects deftly crafted characters (both on and offstage) whose defiance of the norms of mid-twentieth-century femininity had immediate appeal to spectators on the ideological and sexual margins, yet could still play in Peoria.
Chapter by chapter, the book analyzes the stars' best-known and best-loved roles, including Martin as Nellie in South Pacific, Merman as Momma Rose in GypsyAndrews as Eliza in My Fair Lady and Guinevere in Camelot, and Streisand as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. The final chapter scrutinizes the Broadway and film versions of The Sound of Music, illuminating its place in the hearts of lesbian spectators and the "delicious queerness" of Andrews's troublesome nun. As the first feminist and lesbian study of the American Broadway musical, A Problem Like Maria is a groundbreaking contribution to feminist studies, queer studies, and American studies and a delight for fans of musical theater.
Stacy Wolf is Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance, University of Texas, Austin.

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction, LGBT, Feminism

312 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 2002

Reviews

[Aaron Thomas]

I liked most of the introduction to this book, and I mostly liked the bizarre Sound of Music chapter that closed the book (I call it bizarre because it is laid out very differently than the other parts of the book). But... the other chapters are about Mary Martin, Ethel Merman, Julie Andrews, and Barbra Streisand, and I don't really understand the argument. In fact, I really am quite sure that there isn't one. The Barbra chapter especially feels odd to me. It's an analysis of the film of Funny Girl from the perspective of a white lesbian spectator; fine. But I'm not sure we actually get anywhere. And there's tons of discussion of the belle juive and other stereotypes of Jewish women (the JAP makes an extended appearance as well), and I do not understand what this has to do with lesbians...? The same thing happens in the Merman chapter. We get an extended analysis of the Jewish mother and Mama Rose in Gypsy, but Mama Rose isn't Jewish and neither was Merman. Wolf acknowledges this, certainly, but then doesn't explain why she still analyzes the character and the actress as if they were Jewish. What do we get from all of this?

I definitely enjoyed a good portion of this book, but I wish Wolf would make more arguments. I feel like she settles here for easy platitudes.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great retrospective on American theater through a feminist lesbian lens, this book had some excellent commentary on four icons of the golden age of musicals. Some readings felt more forced than others, but the commentary on the development of musical theater and its stars was very informative.

[Lydia Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Also read for thesis & actually lead me to change my concept LOL, loved

[Grace Cuddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very interesting, unfortunately not amazingly helpful with my dissertation but a fascinating perspective.

[Natalie Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I was given an essay to do at university on misogyny in musical theatre, and that lead me to reading the entire book. I found this book fascinating to read, I was only going to make some notes on what I needed but I found what it said very interesting. It explores how different women throughout periods of musical theatre were treated at the time and looks at many different characters and shows.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book about lesbian interpretations of musicals and their performers. The focus is on Mary Martin, Ethel Merman, Julie Andrews, and Barbra Streisand. I think the work on Martin and Merman is the most fleshed out and convincing. Stacey Wolf's writing style is excellent: intelligent, academic, but readable!