In order to be able to analyse and explore the presentation of female actors in Shakespeare’s plays and their musical adaptations, it is important to first analyse the presentation of females in 1950s generally. The 1950s are seen as a period of conformity with traditional gender roles for men and women, but it was also an era of change. During the second world war, women had taken the places of deployed soldiers at work, and after their return, many chose not to leave their new jobs; at this time, women made up ⅓ of the labor force. However, during this decade, the media put great emphasis on the importance of women’s roles, in particular relation to domesticity. A lot of the media at the time, in adverts and television programmes for example, portrayed women as “perfect;” they were beautiful, curvacious, and always had perfectly applied and styled makeup and hair, all while running a household, and completing all of the daily chores that come with that. This unrealistic standard created the illusion that women were perfect, and were duty-bound to maintain these ideals.
As these stereotypical gender roles were applied to women, society conformed, and in the 1950s, marriage and homeownership rates skyrocketed. However, as this was also the period in which automobiles became more readily available, especially to teenagers, younger couples now had a place to spend their time, away from the prying eyes of their parents and other adults with authority. As a result of this, there was a notable rise in premarital sex and birth rates, further impacting how many young women were able to finish school, (because their “little situation” would be such an embarrassment to their parents that they would be sent away for the duration of their pregnancy) let alone go to university; during the 1950s only 1.2% of women attended university or other higher education, however this was not seen as problematic due to the fact that the woman’s role in the home was viewed as the most important and valuable.
Female actresses embodied specific types of acceptable womanhood in the 1950s, and images of female film and theatre stars provided a strong link to the dominant ideologies of the nation, According to Nira Yuval-Davis, ‘It is women […] who reproduce nation; biologically, culturally and symbolically’. There was immense diversity among female stars; some were highly sexualised whilst others were characterised as wholesome girls- next-door. Despite these differences, each star image was entwined with the idealised values of the era. Generally, the way female actresses were presented showed how women and men were “supposed” to act in that time period.
Equally, many of the most popular musicals of the 1950s were tailored specifically for leading ladies. Arguably, Broadway's leading ladies of the time had a greater effect on the development of new stage musicals than performers have at any time before or since. Carol Lawrence made theatrical history as the original Maria in West Side Story, and even starred in several televised musicals. Furthermore, the first female-based shows were released in the 1950’s. These musicals attracted more female audience members and ticket sales rose exponentially.
It is generally believed that Romeo and Juliet, written in 1594, was based on a real Italian love story from the 3rd Century. The Elizabethan Era, also known as The Renaissance was a time of significant change in religion, politics, science, languages and the arts. The play set in Verona follows children from the feuding Montague and Capulet families, who fall in love and sacrifice everything in order to be together in life, and eventually in death.
The idea for West Side Story was originally conceived by Robbins and Bernstein as a story depicting the conflicts between an Italian-American Catholic family and a Jewish family, and was to be a modern musical version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The story in this version was thus called East Side Story. After reading about the emerging phenomenon of juvenile delinquent gangs and turf wars, Arthur Laurents, the playwright of West Side Story, felt that the story would have more relevance if it focused on this current phenomenon. In the 1950s, juvenile delinquency and racial conflicts were very prevalent in America. Many public institutions had official policies excluding Mexican Americans, so the storyline was shifted to depict the rivalry between two teenage gangs in New York; the local Jets let by Riff and the Puerto Rican Sharks, led by Bernado. A turning point in American musical theatre began with West Side Story's dark themes, sophisticated music, and obvious dealings with current social problems in the country. Prior to this, with only rare exceptions, productions tended to lean towards more light and traditional themes. Bernstein's score for West Side Story became and is still extremely popular. Notably, the production provided commentary on racism in a decade where such public displays about race issues, along with many of the other social issues presented, were uncommon in the mainstream entertainment industry.
The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies, and it shares many essential characteristics with his other romantic comedies, such as Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. These characteristics include lighthearted and slapstick humor, disguises and deception, and a happy ending in which most of the characters come out satisfied. The lightheartedness of these romantic comedies contrasts sharply with the darker humor and deeper characterization of Shakespeare’s later plays, both comic and tragic. Like the other romantic comedies, The Taming of the Shrew focuses on courtship and marriage, but, unlike most of them, it devotes a great deal of attention to married life after the wedding. The main plot of the play depicts the courtship of Petruchio and Katherina, the headstrong, obstinate shrew. Initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in the relationship; however, Petruchio "tames" her with various psychological torments, such as keeping her from eating and drinking, until she becomes a desirable, compliant, and obedient bride. The subplot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina's younger sister, Bianca, who is seen as the "ideal" woman. The question of whether the play is misogynistic or not has become the subject of considerable controversy, particularly among modern readers. The play celebrates the quick wit and fiery spirit of its heroine even while reveling in her humiliation.
Kiss Me, Kate is based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. In addition to Porter’s music and lyrics, it features a book written by Sam and Bella Spewack, who’d penned several wacky comedies for stage and film. Originally premiering on Broadway in 1948, Kiss Me, Kate made its way to the West End in 1951, where it ran for 400 performances at the London Coliseum.
The musical celebrates the joy and madness of working in the theatre with a plot following the tumultuous love lives of actor/manager Fred Graham and his leading lady/ex-wife Lilli Vanessi. While starring in a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew, all sorts of troubles beset them offstage, courtesy of Fred’s current love interest Lois Lane, her gambling boyfriend Bill Calhoun and a couple of gun-toting gangsters. It could be argued that Kiss Me Kate is a re-interpretation of the message of The Taming of the Shrew in order to cast a fresh new look on gender relations and other key issues, specific to the period when it was produced and to simultaneously reveal something of the discourses in circulation at the moment of the revival.