On one of the many occasions when George Bush, Jr. fell off his mountain bike, his spin doctors—eager to make sure this klutz didn't appear weak or effeminate—pointed out that, "He wasn't whistling show tunes." This is the same basic homophobic belief used in commercials and TV sitcoms: Manly men do not listen to show tunes. I find this whole premise offensive since it fosters a false stereotype that only men who are gay or effeminate are fans of Broadway show music.
Those who subscribe to this cliche must also believe that through the decades the Broadway musical stage has been supported by women and gay men and that those same fans must be the ones to whom millions of original cast albums were sold. That would also mean that the only heterosexual men to see stage or movie musicals are those unfortunate enough to be dragged to the theaters by their wives or girlfriends. It's a ridiculous premise that continues to be promulgated.
When the seminal musical Oklahoma opened in March or 1943, it was an enormous smash. Since the country was at war, its all-American setting and sentiments were especially popular with servicemen about to go overseas. Once they did, it was not unusual to hear soldiers, sailors, and marines unashamedly singing, "The Farmer and the Cowman Should be Friends" or even, "I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say No." And those were just two of the songs from that show constantly playing on the radio. They were great songs and guess what? both Rodgers and Hammerstein were straight. So were such other musical creators as George M. Cohan, Irving Berlin, Harold Rome, Frank Loesser, and both Lerner and Loewe. One famous lyricist, a close friend of Frank Sinatra was so straight that he out-womanized Old Blue Eyes.
It's also true, of course, that many composers and lyricists were gay, including Cole Porter, Noel Coward, Lorenz Hart and Jerry Herman. But what does that prove? Americans didn't ask who the creators of musicals were sleeping with; they just wanted to hear those great songs. For decades the top 40 charts included such Broadway hits as "You're Just in Love" from Call Me Madam, "If I Loved You" from Carousel, and "Standing on the Corner" from The Most Happy Fella by the late 60s Rock and Roll took over the recording and broadcast industry and show music was confined to the stage, TV specials, original cast recordings and badly directed films like 1967's leaden Camelot.
With musicals less accessible, fans had to seek them out and soon anyone who did so was branded by the lovers of contemporary music as not only uncool but unmanly. It's an odd example of Group Think because today's young gay doesn't like or know show music any more than his straight contemporary. I doubt that most leading rock stars have any interest in The Great White Way, though famously heterosexual superstar Billy Joel was thrilled to turn his music into a Broadway show. Saying you have to be gay to to love Broadway musicals is like saying you have to be Indian to appreciate the sitar. It's a matter of musical taste not an indicator of sexual proclivity or repressed desires.
So, President Bush shouldn't have been afraid to whistle "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" as he biked clumsily along a mountain trail. And the muscled mechanic with six kids, covered with grease, shouldn't worry about getting caught singing, "Send in the Clowns." Liking or disliking musical comedy is not a litmus test for masculinity. It's musical comedy. It's a strong, proud, ever-evolving art form that was invented in New York City with the premiere of The Black Crook at Niblo's Garden on September 12, 1866. And for almost 150 years nobody has done it better than Americans, gay or straight.
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