Teaching Canonic Opera and Musical Theater with Intention

Catherine Coppola is Chair of the Thomas Hunter Honors Program and Lecturer in Musicology at Hunter College of the City University of New York.Elizabeth A. Wells is Professor of Music History and Musicology at Mount Allison University.

• I. Gender & ClassDon Giovanni: Beyond the Hashtag MozartCarmen: Fate or Choice? BizetOklahoma!: Rewriting Race and Gender Rodgers & Hammerstein IICompany: Changing Perspectives on Marriage SondheimMy Fair Lady: Class and Colonialism Lerner & LoeweII. Race and Presumed WhitenessMagic Flute: Whose Enlightenment? MozartAida: Race and Empire—“Caught Up in the Colors of the Story” VerdiPorgy and Bess: Who Tells the Story of Systemic Racism?Gershwin & GershwinShow Boat: The Dynamics of the South Kern & Hammerstein IIWest Side Story: Whose Stories? Bernstein & SondheimIII. Colonialism and History RewrittenMadama Butterfly: Imperialism and GenderPucciniTristan and Isolde: From Fierce Fighter to Transcendent RedeemerWagnerGiulio Cesare: Cleopatra ResistsHandelThe King And I: The Colonial Mask Comes OffRodgers and Hammerstein IIHamilton: A new era?Miranda

"This book teaches the controversies surrounding some of the most popular works encountered on Broadway, in the opera house, and in music history courses. Packed with critical insight and practical advice, it will be an indispensable resource for teachers and performers alike."—Richard Will, Professor of Music, University of Virginia, author of "Don Giovanni" Captured: Performance, Media, Myth (University of Chicago Press, 2022)“A fascinating and important project.”—Kunio Hara, Associate Professor of Music History, University of South Carolina; cultural consultant Houston Grand Opera, featured speaker Boston Lyric Opera’s Butterfly Process