“Too frivolous, too middlebrow, too populist, and too commercial”: Examining the Neo-Victorian Musical

Musical adaptations of Victorian and neo-Victorian texts have long been popular, with adaptations of already existing texts and Victorian-inspired texts being produced on the West End and Broadway. This chapter treats a variety of musicals, identifying what they reveal both about Victorian and contemporary culture. Reiff covers musicals that have become part of the musical theatre canon, such as The King and I (1951) and Oliver! (1960); commercially unsuccessful shows, such as The Woman in White (2004); and a proliferation of adaptations on smaller, more local stages, such as regional theatre productions of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The present day thus enjoys fecund ground for musical exploration, left by the Victorians, that not only reflects Victorian culture but also demonstrates what Victoriana has persisted into the modern age.