Stagestruck: Theater, AIDS, and the Marketing of Gay America

by Sarah Schulman

In Stagestruck noted novelist and outspoken critic Sarah Schulman offers an account of her growing awareness of the startling similarities between her novel People in Trouble and the smash Broadway hit Rent . Written with a powerful and personal voice, Schulman’s book is part gossipy narrative, part behind-the-scenes glimpse into the New York theater culture, and part polemic on how mainstream artists co-opt the work of “marginal” artists to give an air of diversity and authenticity to their own work. Rising above the details of her own case, Schulman boldly uses her suspicions of copyright infringement as an opportunity to initiate a larger conversation on how AIDS and gay experience are being represented in American art and commerce.
Closely recounting her discovery of the ways in which Rent took materials from her own novel, Schulman takes us on her riveting and infuriating journey through the power structures of New York theater and media, a journey she pursued to seek legal restitution and make her voice heard. Then, to provide a cultural context for the emergence of Rent— which Schulman experienced first-hand as a weekly theater critic for the New York Press at the time of Rent ’s premiere—she reveals in rich detail the off- and off-off-Broadway theater scene of the time. She argues that these often neglected works and performances provide more nuanced and accurate depictions of the lives of gay men, Latinos, blacks, lesbians and people with AIDS than popular works seen in full houses on Broadway stages. Schulman brings her discussion full circle with an incisive look at how gay and lesbian culture has become rapidly commodified, not only by mainstream theater productions such as Rent but also by its reduction into a mere demographic made palatable for niche marketing. Ultimately, Schulman argues, American art and culture has made acceptable a representation of “the homosexual” that undermines, if not completely erases, the actual experiences of people who continue to suffer from discrimination or disease. Stagestruck ’s message is sure to incite discussion and raise the level of debate about cultural politics in America today.

Genres: Nonfiction, Queer, History, LGBT, Theatre, Politics, Gay

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Sarah Schulman is a longtime AIDS and queer activist, and a cofounder of the MIX Festival and the ACT UP Oral History Project. She is a playwright and the author of seventeen books, including the novels The Mere Future, Shimmer, Rat Bohemia, After Delores, and People in Trouble, as well as nonfiction works such as The Gentrification of the Mind: Witness to a Lost Imagination, My American History: Lesbian and Gay Life during the Reagan/Bush Years, Ties That Bind: Familial Homophobia and Its Consequences, and Stagestruck: Theater, AIDS, and the Marketing of Gay America. She is Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at The City University of New York, College of Staten Island.

Reviews

[MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to review this book in a way, because it's such a deeply personal account and almost academic piece, not even constructed like a typical non-fiction. Schulman devotes the first part to her experience trying to get RENT to account for its plagiarism of her novel, and the second part to other forms of theatre created by the marginalized groups RENT claimed to represent that ran at the same time as the original Broadway run, that would otherwise be lost to time were it not for this piece. You feel almost overwhelmed by the sense of loss this books conveys: not only of the queer culture that was decimated by the AIDS crisis, but by the creative voices that were kept out (and still are) of the larger theatrical limelight so that someone else's take on their lives and losses could earn cash. This is an important account to study, especially as every June brings out more and more brands who slap on some rainbow marketing for ally points, and I would recommend not only to those interested in theatre, but everyone.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an essential book for anyone who cares about theater, AIDS, gay people, or American culture.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enlightening book! The last chapter, about the commodification of gay experience for straight consumption, is as timely today (or more so!) as when the book was written in 1998. Also the insights into lesbians' experience as playwrights, etc., I've never seen before. Now I really understand why films like "Dallas Buyers Club" left me with such an uneasy feeling (i.e., the straight world as the saviors of gay people with AIDS -- yeah, right.) HIghly recommended for anyone curious about how the gay experience is interpreted by the powers that be in the arts - and if you're gay, why so much of what's presented in a "gay" TV show or movie leaves you scratching your head.

[Morgan M. Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Critically important insights on the appropriation and marketing of gay lives and art that remain as, if not more, powerful now as they were when she published this in 1998.

[Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as Conflict Is Not Abuse. But it was still a very interesting read. I knocked it a little lower because I found some of the concepts difficult to grasp and didn’t like what most people seem to enjoy about this book-that being the middle. I preferred to read about the author’s legal struggles early on and really enjoyed the third part of the book focused on the marketing of queer america and its relation to the lived experiences of queer Americans. I would be interested in an undated or sequel to this book that further elaborates on the continued effects of marketing of queer America in a way that reinforces white supremacy and supremacy ideology.

[Zev · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'd forgotten I'd originally rated this three stars, when I tried so hard to get through this in 2017. I'd tried twice before that. Today, in August of 2021, I finally did. The Goodreads summary sums it up neatly. Had I read that before checking out the book, I would have skipped it entirely and wouldn't be writing such a long, poor review.

The cover suggests this is a history lesson about queers through history in the context of theatre, which I would be fascinated by and should research on my own anyway. The actual content of the book couldn't be more different.
I've tried to get through this book three times in the past decade, and finally succeeded today. It makes way, way more sense if you've read "People in Trouble" before this, or any of the numerous, detailed interviews Schulman has given about the plagiarism of her book by the playwright of "Rent." I had the fortune of reading both within a day of one another. Schulman outlines this book in the introduction. I'm so glad she indicated it was in parts. Otherwise, I'd have assumed it was entirely about her frustration about "Rent" supposedly plagiarizing "People in Trouble," and I wouldn't have read it. Because "People inTrouble" was so poorly written, and has little plot, I don't see the plagiarism. All the plot Schulman says is in her book is a sentence or paragraph, maybe a few pages, of each point she claimed was ripped off. I am, however, simultaneously sorry for what she's endured in regards to it, and I wish it had gone differently for her. At the very least, she should have gotten a massive chunk of the royalties and other monies, and far more recognition. Household name at the very least.

Circling back to the introduction and Part I...she's beating a dead horse to the point that it feels like sour grapes. The introduction explains what the rest of the book is about in a single paragraph. It is many pages longer than that. Schulman dedicates the rest to insisting Larsen plagiarized her work. Part I reads like the introduction never ended. I'm not sure what this has to do with AIDS and the marketing of gays in America--oh, wait, it just clicked. Um...Schulman? You mention "People in Trouble" isn't the only book trying to turn opera for the decade. Stop acting like it's the only one! Sour grapes, indeed.

Schulman does something I was impressed by and really appreciated: she saved her professional, negative review of the original "Rent" production, and reprints it in its entirety in this book. I agree 100% with it, and was really glad for her that she was able to publish it in her book. My perspectives seem to contradict themselves, but it's because there's different factors at play. She points out why "Rent" had the success it did bluntly, which explained things for me and I was glad.

She examines for a good of Part I how she tried to have "People in Trouble" adapted for the stage. She bitterly notes how no one got back to her except to be hostile, and points out the misogyny and homophobia that were factors. Roger and Mark were made straight, which was stupid and unfair, I insist. One man read Schulman's hoped-for adaptation and responded crassly, expressing essentially that he didn't like women feeling romantic or sexual towards one another or in general, and neither would straight ("mainstream") audiences. The phrase "dripping pussy" got used. What a disgusting man. Unfortunately, he was probably happily married with kids because jerks never face real consequences, except in books and movies. And their victims are just told to get over it or "be the bigger person," or forgive them in certain circles. BLECH. Onward.

Every part of this novel is somehow tied to Schulman's distaste for "Rent" and her repeating it was plagiarized. In Part II, she talks about other theatre she's recently seen that will not connect with audiences thirty years later (now) who don't live in New York. They amounted to mini-reviews. She talks about race in theatre a little bit. In Part III, she goes on such a sharp detour that she practically drives off the road metaphorically. She talks about gay marriage, economics and touches on advertising in general. This is clearly a late 90s book and Schulman was utterly convinced nothing would change. Things have changed and this book is outdated in several regards. Schulman criticizes new writers in the 90s for having to get MFAs . It's even more of a requirement thirty years later, and the complaints are from the students themselves now. Schulman noted the new writers flapped their jaws about how their professors are famous writers who are helping them out...and a page later, she lets it slip that Audre Lorde was a professor of hers too. She uses purple prose to describe things she likes, so I can kind of understand "People In Trouble" a touch more stylistically.

This wasn't the history lesson I thought it would be. What a disappointment.

[I. Merey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more privileged we are, the more comfort we derive from being reassured that we are universal, hey, possibly even oppressed. The more disenfranchised, the more enraging it is to see the already privileged profit and gain even more attention from distorting a story those living it do not even get to tell. --until fairly recently, we were used to seeing the world sifted through the (generally) white cis het male lens, and refracted back at us as being a 'universal' truth. The fight over the commodification and repackaging of experiences is raging right now. Cultural appropriation, (I've never heard the following term, but for lack of a better one) experience appropriation and the raising awareness of its harm doesn't mean that we've stopped getting movies where cis men play trans women, or white women play asian ones, --but it does mean that more and more of us are aware that this is wrong, that the people supposed to be portrayed are doubly hurt--first, by a distorted package of their experience being peddled as 'authentic', and second, by the dominant group profiting off of this distortion. Change is slow, but it is happening. We are slowly seeing backlash against those who use their privileged status to create media that tries to mask its blandness with the spice of a disenfranchisement they personally have never witnessed (all the fun and none of the risk.)

I swear I will get to the actual book in a moment, bear with me.

'Stagestruck' is about a Jewish lesbian author realizing that a white dude ripped her off to make the smash hit RENT. But it's also about much much more. It is about living in a world where certain groups have to fight to tell their story, and scream into the void, because the Majority reassures them that nobody wants to hear their story---UNLESS it is first filtered through the brain, and mouth, and experience, of a white male, reworked, re-digested, and shat out as a shiny package the privileged can consume to feel good about their own progressiveness, without all the ugly reminders of what their privilege costs others in society. They want to treat real cultural perspective shifts and divides as fun ice cream flavors, and playful 'what if's' because then nobody has to confront their privilege, change or heaven forbid, FEEL BAD.

I wonder how popular RENT would be if it debuted today. Unearthing that Larsen was not gay, that he did not die of AIDS, that he sprinkled the heartache of AIDS and queerness, and poverty on his story like a literary MSG would only be a quick Googie search away. Those who stubbornly maintain that anyone can write anything would still support it I suppose, but I wonder if it would have achieved anything near the status it managed to rocket to in the late 90s.

I'll admit, in high school, I absolutely LOVED this musical, and yes, guilty guilty guilty, I loved it for all the wrong reasons. I loved it because I was looking for gay representation and it packaged it in a way that was easy to understand. I loved it because I wanted to be an artist, but not the starving, ugly, unfashionable, dirty artist--I wanted to be the starving, hot, dancing, sexy artist. Funny, because now I am an adult, and I am queer, and I am an artist--and yes, I wonder what it would have been like to come into Sarah Schulman's novel before I came into contact with RENT. Alas, I won't ever know.

I would also love to have a conversation with Schulman today, about how she feels vis-a-vis marginalized groups trying to eke out their platforms online, away from the strangling mediocre filter. I would be curious to hear what she has to say. At any rate, such an insightful book, and on so many topics. RENT goes on the heap where Kevin Spacey and Scarlett Johansson lives, but hey. It is possible to consume media that does not feed us with harmful distortions and lies, and I do believe it is our duty to seek such media out...

[Hilo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieses Buch macht es sich zur Aufgabe, queere Aktivist*innen und Künstler*innen und ihre Arbeit, ihren Mut, ihr Engagement innerhalb der Aids-Krise und heute sichtbar zu machen. Sarah Schulman zerreißt den Heterosexismus und Rassismus im vermeintlich diversen "Rent"-Musical, das elementare Teile ihres Buches plagiierte und obendrein noch den weißen heterosexuellen Mann zum "Helden der Aids-Krise" macht. Dabei benutzt sie einen bedeutenden Teil des Buches, um andere marginalisierte Theaterregisseurinnen hervorzuheben und erzählt wie nebenbei vom berauschenden East Village zu der Zeit, wo die Aids-Krise auf ihrem Höhepunkt war. Sehr schönes, warmes, aber auch scharf geschriebenes Buch, exzellente Lektüre, die Freude und Leid queerer Geschichte vereint.

[Liza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok I know this book makes some really important true points that are pretty devastating in their implications, and I can understand how this whole experience would have been absolutely enraging to go through, but I just had a really hard time staying in the headspace of taking Rent so seriously, you know? Like a little 500 25 thousand six hundred minutes kept popping into my head and making me want to laugh. I'm probably part of the problem, is what I'm trying to say. Sorry!

[sedge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting with an analysis of RENT's roots in her own novel, People in Trouble, Schulman expands her critique to examine how queer culture and experiences are sanitized in the process of becoming consumer products. Mindblowing; I reread this book every 18 months or so.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stagestruck is essentially a very interesting cohesive collection of essays framed around Schulman's personal experience with the alleged plagiarism of Rent. The weakest parts of the book is when Schulman goes into great depth to explain her side of the story, the moustache-twirling villainy of her opponents, and her sacrifice in not pursuing the suit. The most compelling part of this story- why Schulman decided not to pursue the suit, even though she clearly had a case and support, wasn't explained fully. In the absence of that explanation, the reader is left to determine there was little actual merit in the case itself.

This is only the premise of Stagestruck, however, which quickly ascends to a deep and incisive study of the sexual and ethnic gentrification of the East Village, and the fundamental issues with the presentation and consumption of gay culture. This is where the deeply personal nature of Stagestruck is at its strongest, as Schulman rattles off queer icons, plays, performances, and magazines in quick, yet loving, succession. Her knowledge of the impact of HIV/AIDS on culture is particularly profound, and it shows her proximity and understanding of the subject matter. In particular, the arguments she makes against biological determinism were ahead of their time, and will continue to be the gold standard in challenging the "Born This Way" narrative.

A clearer picture of Schulman and her suit against the Larson estate emerges in these arguments than in her recounting of the experiences. Towards the end of the book, it becomes clearer that, to Schulman, Rent was not only emblematic of the marketing of gay America, but represented the demeaning of her life's work fighting AIDS and the gentrification of her neighbourhood. Doubts about her authenticity in the suit are quelled.

This is a useful introductory book to problems with representation in theatre, yet those expecting an academic or genuinely persuasive text will be deeply disappointed.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daaaamn.. You want to get angry? So Sarah Schulman wrote a novel a called PEOPLE IN TROUBLE, which was used pretty heavily by Jonathan Larson in writing RENT, and though Schulman won the moral argument of intellectual property creation, she got not one dime from Larson’s uber-wealthy family estate.

First Schulman dishes the dirt, and then she explores how homosexuality and AIDS have been reframed by mainstream culture to not only assuage straight people’s guilt, but to in fact make them the heroes (see: PHILADELPHIA, RENT of course, and just about every other Hollywood movie with a gay character in it to this day). In turn, this straight-created material is marketed to queer audiences, who, happy at seeing themselves represented in any form, don’t scrutinize where this content is coming from.

Sometimes she veered to arguments that seemed completely out of left field, sometimes I didn’t fully understand what argument she was even making, and though some of the contemporaneous-to-RENT plays she venerates sound exciting and honorable, they also sometimes sound underbaked and pretentious. But she is a righteous person fighting the good fight and damn if she doesn’t have every right to be furious. I was left thinking about Jonathan Larson and his poorly written play in a different light after reading this; namely, fuck that guy.

[Quinn Elliot]

I’d heard about the plagiarism of People in Trouble and finally decided to read the book, and this one that explored the situation in depth. For those who haven’t read the novel, please do, it’s excellent.

Stagestruck is a detailed and thorough critique of the ways that companies and mainstream culture profits off of gay and lesbian communities (and people with AIDS) by representing a safe and palatable version of homosexuality that they can make money off of. When Schulman wrote this book it was a newer phenomenon, at this point it has been going on for years and has intensified with social media. Having come of age after this shift it is interesting to see the ways she breaks it down.

It’s an interesting read and a topic worth thinking about, although some sections dragged a bit, and could have been condensed to the more interesting points. Her more recent nonfiction books examine some similar points and have a more experienced writing style. I would recommend The Gentrification of the Mind in particular.

[Liz H · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly I’d give this 0 stars if I could. This book seemed like one rage written complaint by someone who didn’t get their way. On top of being terribly written - this book is filled with errors. Most notably being a Benny/Collins mix up. That’s not a typo - it’s just wrong. It’s amazing that this book was published. It’s well known Jonathan Larson was writing Rent long before her book was published. And he collaborated with Aronson using a play he was originally writing. Just because it came out after her book doesn’t mean it was plagiarized. It’s telling when law firms obviously don’t want to take your case. You don’t need to love or hate Rent to see this is just someone who is just eternally angry and finding a way to claim to be marginalized in any way possible. It’s as though she has no knowledge of how the theater works.

[Malik Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plagarism allegations are startling, and only deepen my personal vendetta against all things RENT-related, but those details aren't nearly as fascinating as what follows: an in-depth cultural analysis of the neoliberal posturing and queer commodification that RENT has caused in the following years, an effect still lingering in American fields of art and culture.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Necessary reading on queer issues. Sarah Schulman crushes it again. How I adore her mind.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and well-researched.

[Shelbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

blueprint

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as important today as the day it was published.

[FAHASS]

796.04 SCH

[Micah Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and thought-provoking. Must-read for anyone interested in Rent, AIDS and the LGBTQ culture in the 1990s.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A revealing memoir! As someone who used to be a fan of Rent, it was shocking to realize not only the source material it was adapted from, but the specific changes that were made in the process of transforming it from its source: People in Trouble.

Although the section discussing specific names and shows in the theatre world at the time lost me a bit, everything else was absolutely fascinating. It not only provides a slice of historical record of the theatre and queer communities at the time, but makes excellent points about art, dominant culture, representation, and commodification.

Side note: It was so hard to get my hands on this book. I looked through several libraries and bookstores and eventually had to special order it. It’s a real shame, considering how good it is.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

De nuevo, una prosa plagada de opiniones y reclamos, pero me parece que Schulman está en todo su derecho. Un libro era lo menos que podía hacer, después de que ningún otro medio pudo darle voz a su caso. Me queda claro que, aunque Larson sí fue muy habilidoso como songwriter (ojo a la elección de palabras: compositor y songwriter son términos MUY diferentes), él sabía que su debilidad era la dramaturgia, y se aprovechó del material de Schulman sin darle crédito alguno; las pruebas de esto son concluyentes. Además, Schulman aprovecha para criticar el panorama de la cultura estadounidense respecto a temas de igualdad. Para Schulman, el teatro americano se proclama como antirracista o antihomofóbico de maneras absurdas, como incluir personajes homosexuales pero nunca presentar obras de dramaturgas lesbianas, o incluir personajes BIPOC pero nunca profundizar sobre sus luchas. En ese mismo sentido, Schulman esboza sobre cómo Rent funcionó tanto para las audiencias homosexuales como para las heterosexuales que buscan confirmar lo tolerantes que son: los protagonistas heterosexuales Mimi y Roger resultan un alivio para la audiencia y la subtrama de la muerte de Ángel resulta secundaria, incluso cuando el tema principal es el SIDA. Todo esto me impacta mucho a nivel personal porque Rent ha sido parte de mi cultura y de la de muchxs a mi alrededor, pero ahora nunca olvidaré el oscuro lugar de donde viene. Definitivamente, el mundo del teatro musical sigue, hasta la fecha, en deuda moral y monetaria con la novelista neoyorquina, y sus conclusiones son de suma trascendencia en estos tiempos donde a menudo se confunde el activismo con el marketing.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important read for those only familiar with the "official" story of the making of the Broadway musical "Rent". Although I don't think Schulman fully realizes the potential of this project the ideas she formulates are fascinating and significant fodder for thought. The theft of authentic LGBT stories by straight authors is still going on, even in today's culture of supposed openness and acceptance. I congratulate Schulman for feeling this underhanded creative theft is more insidious than any monetary gain she might've lost from Jonathan Larson lifting ideas and characters from her book "People in Trouble". I'd love to read a follow-up now that it's been seventeen years since "Stagestruck"'s first publication. It would be interesting to read what new, similar cases have popped up over the years and Schulman's opinions on the marketing of today's Gay America.

[Lewis Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many books that are important for artists, especially queer artists. This is one of them. Not only the wonderful, crisp voice of Schulman, but the clarity of her ideas, claims, truth, and understanding of everything she speaks on including theatre, politics, advertising, and HIV/AIDS culture. This book is exciting, heart-wrenching, and challenges your understanding of the LGBTQ+ community--especially if you are not a cisgendered white lesbian woman. While I am critical of her lack of mentioning Trans folx, I am forgiving for her mentioning of other sexual & gender identities and the acknowledgment of how BIPOC, especially black people, are of the most disadvantaged and othered in this country AND community.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second most important book I've ever read, after Schulman's scolding, scalding, incendiary The Gentrification of the Mind. The first buds of the literally (for me) life-changing ideas that reach their full flower in Gentrification are clearly visible here. If you enjoy the theater, are queer, or both, put down your copy of Finishing the Hat right now and replace it with this book. Then sit back and prepare to have your mind blown, your bile choke you, and your heart torn asunder.

[Sarah Mangle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is highly reccomended!
A great analysis of the marketing of gay culture to the mainstream and what that does... calls into question a sense of responsibility we must take on, what does recognition mean at any cost, and when is it really recognition, (if at all) when a profit is being made? Also: make me think about the role of theatre and narrative in political discussion and history making/preserving.

[Resistance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always rewarded when I read back into Schulman's nonfiction. Here we find the germ of many themes in her novels, including the critique of marketing as it will be developed in The Mere Future (2010). I just wish I knew how to access her staged texts. Much more to say, but read everything the woman writes.

[Ezra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm re-reading this and appreciating it all over again, especially in the context of The Gentrification of the Mind: Witness to a Lost Imagination. So good!

[Hubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent text - outlines how mainstream media has coopted the narratives of lives of AIDS victims, lesbians, and gays. Schulman makes a convincing case that Larson has sugarcoated a story drawn from her own novel People in Trouble and make it amenable for middle-class audiences. Schulman draws upon much literary and activist experiences and once again as always speaks truth to power.