Puccini’s Madama Butterfly contributes to orientalism by defining the East through the West, using both racist and sexist beliefs, which is shown in the way that the story centers around the impacts of a Western man on an Eastern woman. Hall defines stereotypes as generalizations made on a group of people that prevent them from existing outside of these perceived notions, which is shown in the way that Pinkerton idealizes and treats Cio-Cio San. From the beginning, Pinkerton sings about marrying a Japanese woman only after establishing his superiority as an American man, “Dovunque al Mondo” glorifying colonization under the guise of love. This only worsens as the Opera progresses,…

Historically, Broadway productions have been primarily directed by, acted by, and written by white people within the theater space, leaving little room for variety in opinion, depiction, and narrative. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton worked to majorly challenge this notion through a more diverse depiction of American history, remaining true to the events and characteristics of the people he was imitating, but adding an ethnic flair necessary to provide diversity to the space. Not only was his choice of casting extremely intentional, with there being a range of identities shown throughout the play consistently, but his usage of rap and spoken word within the production added another layer of edginess to his…

When I was in the fifth grade, I heard about the Hamilton musical for the first time when my teacher played the song “Alexander Hamilton.” Immediately, the song caught my attention much quicker than any of the explanations my teacher gave. I was in awe of how clearly Hamilton’s background story was given in the song and how captivating this was for the audience. Hamilton’s ability to persevere and change the country for the better despite being referred to as a, “bastard,” and being degraded for years of his life is inspiring and even enlightening. Specifically, the lyrics, “There would have been nothin’ left to do for someone less astute,”…

Hamilton is an amazing musical that brings American history to life. It’s fascinating to see how the playwrights and actors are able to recreate key moments in history and allow people today to visualize what life was like in the 18th century. My favorite part of the musical was the song “Non-Stop”. Not only does this song describe Hamilton’s role in shaping the United States, it also allowed us to understand women’s role in society through the voices of Angelica and Eliza. From their lines, it can be understood that societal norms limited their freedom, forcing them to marry for wealth and tend to domestic matters. The tone of this part…

Part 1: For this discussion post, I have chosen one of the photographs I took of an advertisement I saw on the High Line. While others may have glanced at it once or twice and walked past it afterwards, I took interest in this promotional poster because 1) Other than for events, there aren’t a lot of advertisements on the High Line where passersby can see them, and 2) This also contributes to the aesthetic landscape of the High Line. The design of the poster is carefully thought out to camouflage itself in the artistic environment of the High Line. It uses a nude color palette of beige, brown, and…