ABSTRACT
The most prominent feature of history musicals’ reception discourse is how often critics express incredulity at the very idea of a musical about historical figures and events. Reviews of history musicals tend to fall into a distinct pattern: first, critics express surprise at the “unlikely” subject for a musical. Once reviewers have modeled their surprise as an opening gambit, they go on to critique the historical substance of the musical. When reviewers dislike history musicals, they tend to critique them along similar lines: they often begin by remarking on the surprising subject, as discussed earlier. Sometimes they point out flaws in the show’s depiction of history, although departures from historical record are usually forgiven in positively received musicals in all but the most pedantic reviews. Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner’s 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue features historical vignettes about a century of presidential administrations in the White House and the African American servant family that keeps the house running.
