Article about Shrek the Musical
“‘Let Our Freak Flags Fly’: Shrek the Musical and the Branding of Diversity,” by Jessica Brater et al. (Published in 2010.)
Covers a whole bunch of interconnected topics. The article starts and ends with some comments about Obama, but is mostly focused on the history and development of Shrek the Musical, and the diversity-related positions that DreamWorks did and didn’t choose to take. The article talks about product tie-ins, the economics of Broadway shows, proposed remedies-for-social-problems “based on individual commitment, rather than systemic change,” cleaning up Times Square, marketing campaigns, William Steig’s original book, Black male sidekicks, gay male sidekicks, and lots more.
Here’s one bit I was particularly struck by:
Viewing performance footage online is a mode of previewing the live theatrical event, which reassures consumers that they are making a sound financial investment, while instilling what Richard Caves calls ‘rational addiction’: the consumption of cultural goods to increase one’s ‘expertise and training’ so that one experiences more ‘thrills per hour’ when consuming similar goods in the future.