Some of the most interesting musical theater does its work by playing with the blurred boundary between diegetic music -- music that actually exists within the world of the show -- and non-diegetic -- the imaginary, elevated emotional music that defines the art form in our imagination. (Sweeney Todd isn't singing in his universe; the Michael Jackson of MJ is.) That's one of the reasons why musical theater is preoccupied with performance. Examining why tells us a lot about the capital-T Theater as a liminal between-space.

SONGS FEATURED:

"Wig in a Box" from Hedwig and the Angry Inch

"Masquerade" from Stereophonic

"Another Day of Sun" from La La Land

"Beggin'" from Jersey Boys

"Bright (Take 22)" from Stereophonic

"On Broadway"  ...