FRAMING FEMINISM ON BROADWAY: NEGOTIATING PROGRESS AND CONTAINMENT IN COMMERCIAL MUSICAL THEATRE

Broadway has long served as a stage for cultural negotiation, where entertainment and ideology intersect. This research examines how feminist narratives are framed, adapted, and constrained within three twenty-first century musicals—Wicked (2003), Waitress (2016), and Six (2021). Using framing theory and qualitative content analysis, it investigates how each musical’s script, lyrics, and Playbill cover construct representations of gender, power, and agency. Findings reveal a clear progression from subtextual critique to overt feminist branding. Wicked embeds resistance while maintaining narrative containment; Waitress negotiates intimacy and autonomy within patriarchal conventions; and Six transforms collective feminist expression into pop spectacle, breaking the fourth wall to position the audience as participants. Across this trajectory, feminist expression grows more visible but remains shaped by Broadway’s commercial imperatives. This study argues that these productions illustrate an ongoing negotiation between progress and containment—where empowerment must be made profitable to be staged. By tracing this evolution, this research contributes to media and communication scholarship on how popular culture packages feminism for mainstream consumption.