Class in British Musical Theatre

Katie Beswick is a writer and academic currently working at Goldsmiths, University of London, as Programme Director for the BA in Arts Management. She is interested in arts and culture and their intersections with issues of class.

• IntroductionHook: My Fair Lady and the British Class System Concepts of ClassBrief History of the Relationship Between Theatre, Music and Social ClassChapter OverviewChapter 1: Class Consciousness and the MusicalTheme: Shifting Class Consciousness in 20th/21st Centuries Lit Review: Look Up and Laugh, Les Misérables, Billy Elliot Case Study: Oh What a Lovely War!Chapter 2: Real and Fictional Spaces Theme: Space and PlaceLit Review: The Phantom of the Opera, Blood Brothers, Everybody’s Talking About JamieCase Study: Standing at the Sky’s Edge Chapter 3: Class Struggle and FormTheme: Formal Experiments Lit Review: Misty, Poet in Da Corner, GrimeboyCase Study: Pied Piper: A Hip Hop Family MusicalConclusionMini Case Study: Matilda the Musical