Frances Teague: Shakespeare and the American Popular Stage

At a time when the United States of America is the World’s only superpower, any book purporting to offer insights into how a dead Englishman might have been influential on formation of an identifiable American character and aspects of American popular stage, is to be welcomed. Teague in her introduction to this very readable book argues that Americans ‘use Shakespeare idiosyncratically’ (1). She goes on to suggest Americans might even use ‘Shakespeare to explain themselves’ (2). However, while the introduction offers these brief and tantalising ideas about American ethnology, the text that follows only superficially engages with this topic being largely a narrative exploration of American Broadway musicals that have utilised Shakespeare.

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