A Historical Perspective of the Progression of Racial Issues in Musical TheaterIn this essay I will address racial issues in musical theater, specifically the black-white divide. I chose this topic because I find it interesting how racism was so accepted in society, and although its presence is decreasing, it is still a problem today. I will be looking at two similar but contrasting musicals written at different times. Both of these musicals have racial issues in their plot. I will examine the similarities and differences between these two musicals and how racial issues are expressed. I will also take into consideration when the shows were written; what impact these musicals have had on society and vice versa. The shows under investigation are Show Boat and Hairspray. I chose these shows because of their similar issues. In my opinion Show Boat had one of the biggest influences on musical theater and Hairspray made the biggest statement in relation to racism, in modern times. An original advertisement in the 1927 Show Boat was presented by Florenz Ziegfeld (1867-1932) in 1927. Ziegfeld was an American Broadway impresario. Show Boat was unlike anything he had ever produced before. Jerome Kern (1885-1945), one of the most important American composers of the 20th century, had the idea of ​​adapting Edna Ferber's novel “Show Boat” into a musical with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein (1895-1960). When he approached Ziegfeld about producing Show Boat, Ziegfeld agreed to work on the show. This was unexpected as it was nothing like his legendary Follies, which were vaudeville shows. In the early part of the 20th century, musical theater consisted of vaudeville and minstrel shows....... middle of paper...... an act of injustice while in Hairspray they openly state it. This is due to the different times in which they were written. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the company influenced these two shows the most. Both are a reflection of society. Show Boat influenced society by being the first show with racial issues that shocked the audience and gave the entertainment world the opportunity to make shows about it. Hairspray didn't affect society that much because it wasn't as shocking to the public anymore. Racism was already known as a social issue. Yet racism will always be a problem in our society and I think it will always be important to have this issue in the world of entertainment to raise public awareness. Despite the different way racism is practiced today, I hope we will never stop fighting for a more integrated society.