Yank! review

Yank! Review - Broadway musical

The musical is an original story based on the memoirs of soldiers who were prone to non-traditional relationships, as well as heterosexuals, who participated in World War II. The show's name is taken from the name of the magazine, which was distributed in the US Army in the 1940s. The performance involved only one representative of the female gender – actress portrayed on the stage all the female characters. In the show can be heard songs in styles of swing, big band and boogie-woogie.

The musical was presented to the public for the first time in the summer of 2005, at Philadelphia Gay & Lesbian Theatre Festival. Despite a modest budget, the director I. Goldin was able to show the difficulties faced by people with a different sexual orientation in many areas of society relations. That fall, the play was presented during the NY Musical Theatre Festival, where the theatrical received the Audience Award. Full-scale production wasn’t also left out of attention of the public. In 2007, it was awarded with NY Innovative Theatre Award. The following version (of 2008) received 2 from the LA Stage Scene Awards. Show of 2010 was 7 times nominated for Drama Desk and 2 times – on the Outer Critics Circle and 2 times for Lucille Lortel.

During the preparation of performance for Broadway, in production was replaced the permanent director of every past production. Instead of I. Goldin, the show joined D. Cromer. Despite the fact that there were several rehearsals, the musical did not hit on Broadway. Critics have favorably received theatrical novelty. They noted that the authors were able to create a spectacle in the spirit of the classic productions of past years. The harsh reality of war was replaced by romantic moods of young soldiers. Gay people were not allowed in those times in conventional US Army. Gays were subjected to the same restrictions as people with different skin color. Despite this, the troops had secret societies of homosexuals with their culture and traditions. Musical’s production in 2010 coincided with the political debates and the abolition of the law “Do not Ask, Do not Tell”, which forbade Americans to serve in the army, if they openly admitted their own homosexuality. In 2011, the president of the USA has allowed homosexuals to enlist, not hiding their inclinations. Many critics have noted that the spectacular appeared on the scene very timely – it reflected the changed attitude of society towards people of this type.
Last Update:August, 03rd 2016