Labor takes the stage: A musical and social analysis of 'Pins and Needles' (1937-1941).

摘要

Pins and Needles could not have been a more unlikely hit of the late Depression. Its actors were pure amateurs, the sets were simple, the costumes were from the actor's closets, and the theatre doubled as an education building for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU). No major critics came to see the show on opening night, even after being personally invited by the producer. And yet, on 23 January 1938, a mere two months after its opening, Brooks Atkinson, the chief drama critic of the New York Times, lauded it for its wit, humor, and sentiment. How did this musical with disaster written all over it become the highlight of Broadway, and earn a White House Command performance?;Primarily the revue succeeded because the writers of the production team were not amateurs like the actors, but professionals. The ILGWU offered them a creative vehicle in which to give voice to their political and social opinions. Though some of the songs and sketches of Pins and Needles contained content found in leftist newspaper headlines of the day, the creators of the show were ever mindful of the socially progressive, yet politically moderate union they were working for. The historical links between organized labor movements and left-wing politics caused the show's makers to clearly express, for example, their distaste for Communism and Fascism in order to moderate public perceptions of the ILGWU's former Communist background.;This dissertation contains musical and social analyses of all nineteen original sketches and songs, which are broken down into three categories: political songs and sketches, both national and international; sketches about the economy and its effects on workers, and the sketches and songs with social consciousness that dealt more broadly with issues of class, attitude, and taste. All the songs in Pins and Needles were of a popular nature and borrowed musical traits from opera, sentimental songs, dance traditions, parlor songs, Tin Pan Alley songs, and labor choruses (mass choruses). Labor Takes the Stage concludes with a discussion of the original cast's tour of the United States, and the legacy of Pins and Needles after it closed.