How a Broadway showstopper became a defining anthem for the LGBT+ community
In short: Composed by Jerry Herman for the 1983 musical La Cage aux Folles, the song I Am What I Am transcended its theatrical origins. It became a powerful gay anthem during the AIDS crisis and a signature hit for legendary performers, illustrating how art can provide a metaphorical voice to marginalized communities.
The concept of representation in art is complex, often involving the act of presenting an image that stands for a person or group. When artists create works that represent marginalized communities, they face the inherent challenge of avoiding stereotypes. This difficulty is compounded when the creator lacks a deep connection to the group being depicted, often leading them to rely on pre-existing, sometimes negative, social associations.
Musical theatre provides a rich lens for examining these tensions. For instance, the life and work of songwriter Cole Porter, who lived from 1891 to 1964, have often been subject to reductive biographies. While Porter’s attraction to men is well-documented—evidenced by intimate letters to Russian ballet dancer Boris Kochno—popular depictions have frequently sensationalized his private life. Works like the 1995 book Genius and Lust or the 2020 Netflix series Hollywood often frame his sexuality through a lens of tragic secrecy or caricature.
This contrasts sharply with the 1946 biopic Night and Day, which famously depicted Porter in a conventional marriage to Linda Lee Thomas. Such portrayals highlight the struggle to reconcile an artist's true identity with the public image constructed by others. Ultimately, when a song like I Am What I Am serves as a showstopper, it offers a rare opportunity for a community to claim its own narrative, moving beyond the external stereotypes that have historically defined queer representation in the arts.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The LGBT+ Showstopper: ‘I Am What I Am’ - Dominic Broomfield-McHugh
- Also: The LGBT+ Showstopper: ‘I Am What I Am’
- Also: podcast.gresham.ac.uk — The LGBT+ Showstopper: ‘I Am What I Am’ - Dominic Broomfield-McHugh - Gresham College Lectures
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