Beyond the Rue Pigalle
Faculty member Maya Cantu's essay, "Beyond the Rue Pigalle: Recovering Ada 'Bricktop' Smith as 'Muse,' Mentor, and Maker of Transatlantic Musical Theatre," has been published in the Palgrave Macmillan collection, Reframing the Musical: Race, Culture and Identity.
Cantu's essay discusses Bricktop's significant contributions to the history of musical theater, from the Harlem Renaissance to Lost Generation Paris.
About Reframing the Musical:
This critical and inclusive edited collection offers an overview of the musical in relation to issues of race, culture and identity. Bringing together contributions from Cultural, American and Theatre Studies for the first time, the chapters offer fresh perspectives on musical theatre history, calling for a radical and inclusive new approach. By questioning ideas about what the musical is about and who it for, this groundbreaking book retells the story of the musical, prioritising previously neglected voices to reshape our understanding of the form.
Timely and engaging, this is required reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of Musical Theatre. It offers an intersectional approach which will also be invaluable for theatre practitioners.