What corn, Broadway, and the 4th of July have in common

Ah… merica. What’s more American than corn and a barn-raising showtune? Enter “Independently Owned” from the 2023 Broadway musical Shucked. The number clinched a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for Alex Newell’s portrayal of Lulu, an entrepreneurial whiskey distiller who’s not afraid to clap back.

The year was a big one for inclusivity on Broadway, with both Newell and J. Harrison Ghee (Some Like It Hot) winning awards in their respective categories, making them the first nonbinary performers to crack through the Tony’s glass ceiling.

And now we’re here with a president who demanded his name be added to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, only to lose in court and have it removed less than six months later. Yay! More taxpayer dollars wasted on a vanity project.

But back to Broadway and the 4th of July. Americans, as we know, like to claim everything as our own. But like nearly everything in this nation, musical theater is an amalgamation of countless global cultural influences.

Did we further the art form with groundbreaking musicals like Oklahoma! (1943), which integrated storytelling through dance and music? Sure. But we’ve also been slow to widen the storytelling lens to center BIPOC stories, create opportunities for disabled actors, and amplify audience access that doesn’t hinge on a six-figure salary. Back to Lulu:

Operating, modulating, celebrating
Liberated, calculated, educated
Underrated, motivated, advocated, intimidating
Independently

Democracies don’t have a great track record past 250. We’re on fragile ground, which often makes for great theater (look at Hamilton). America is still the longest-running show that refuses to close—maybe it’s just due for a refresh.