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Rating: 
Summary: A suggestion
Review: A reviewer below wrote: "if you're looking for some insight into the connection between musical theatre and gay culture, look somewhere else."I agree, and would suggest D.A. Miller's PLACE FOR US, which delves deeply and originally into this question. Miller's book has taken a lot of flack for its difficult prose and complex ideas, but it is very rewarding. Be warned that unlike Clum's book, miller's is aimed at those who already know the subject well and are interested in delving deeper.
Rating: 
Summary: Insight
Review: I am a novelist and playwright, now completing my first full length musical play. While I do not define myself by sexual activity, I found John Clum's amiable stroll through the world of late twentieth century musical theatre to be both educational and stimulating. For me the most rewarding feature of the book was the insight it gave me into the minds of gay men of the theatre in the fifties and sixties. I attended a graduate school of drama with many of them, and while I sensed a inner tension and conflict no one talked about it. At least no one talked to me. Mr. Clum through his own experience communicates these conflicted feelings and the alert wariness. Even as we all enjoyed the cast album of Gypsy. These gay men must have felt like shot down pilots behind enemy lines. Now everything is wide open. Maybe I'm wrong, but I got the impression Mr. Clum found those bad old days more dangerously exciting and fabulous.
Rating:
Summary: Boffo
Review: I have to disagree with some of the naysayers who critiqued this book. I found it very enjoyable and quite interesting. I consider myself very knowledgable about Broadway and musical theatre, and I failed to find the number of errors that several people pointed out. I found a couple, but big deal! It's a fun read about where gay culture and musical theatre mesh.Clum takes us on a journey that tells some very interesting things about R&H, Lorenz Hart, Sondheim. You don't have to be gay to enjoy this either.Straight or gay, if musicals are your thing then I recommend placing an order for this book pronto.
Rating: 
Summary: Give this one a try -- it's fabulous!
Review: I read the first reader's comments below and I must completely disagree. I am a gay, musical-comedy fan from NYC and I think John Clum has written, probably, the best book on the subject that I have ever read. Having toiled in graduate school for many years and having received a number of degrees, it was refreshing to read a really smart book that uses all of the postmodern ideas that we've grown up with in a way that is accessible. I've become so TIRED of pomo-academy speak because, for all of its erudition, it really doesn't say anything. Here's a book that does in language that everyone can understand. I bought this book because of the review in OUT that said reading it was like getting a call from a friend who says -- Hey, I saw the greatest show last night! -- and that's exactly what I experienced when I read it. When my parents took me to see the original production of HELLO, DOLLY at the tender age of 9, they never knew what they were creating. Gay men seem to worry about liking musicals these days because they worry about the stereotype of the musical comedy queen. Do I worry about being thought of as a musical comedy queen? No. My partner and I have been together for over twelve years. I go to the gym and lift weights just like everyone else. I have a good job. I love musicals -- gay, straight, whatever. I don't care what anyone -- especially the academic thought police -- thinks about that and I absolutely loved this book. If you love musicals, and especially if you're gay, I'd give this one a try. And, yes, it will make a great Christmas gift for anyone on your list who cares about the state of the musical theater in America today.
Rating:
Summary: Not This Author's Best
Review: I was deeply disappointed by this book -- too many inaccuracies and too few insights. And the organization of the material is -- to put it gently -- loose. This is a worthwhile topic that deserved far better fronm the author of ACTING GAY. You can find better resources for free on the internet. What a pity!
Rating:
Summary: The Boys Deserve Something Much Better
Review: I was shocked at the shoddy level of fact-checking for this book. I counted nearly an error a page. Did Clum not bother to proofread? Did St. Martin's bother to copyedit? Aside from the fact that Clum keeps inserting his personal (and not very interesting) history into the narrative (the absolute nadir is his chapter on Sondheim shows and the men he was dating at the time), his book is almost free of original ideas. To put it in Broadway terms, this book falls somewhere between "Moose Murders" and "Saturday Night Fever."
Rating: 
Summary: spell check
Review: I've often mused about the connection to musical theatre that frequently appears among members of our community and think it's a subject that bears examination - Why DO so many gay men find ourselves listening to and collecting showtunes from an early age, often before we're even self aware of our sexuality? Unfortunately this book is much more a personal biography about the shows he's seen and ranting about the state of musical theatre today, longing for the "good ol' days," rather than shedding any light onto the phenomenon, as the title suggests. While it offers some interesting tidbits here and there and can be a fun read at times, I feel most readers will come away disappointed, especially due to the bitter tone Mr. Clum takes through much of it. Read it without expecting an actual thesis or focus and you will most likely enjoy it, but if you're looking for some insight into the connection between musical theatre and gay culture, look somewhere else.
Rating: 
Summary: Yah, what he said...
Review: This book is an interesting read, but as everyone else says, there are myriads of errors. My biggest problem is that Mr. Clum has a case of Diva Worship (don't we all!), but he comes off as very condescending. Every page I turned made me angrier and angrier. Many times I felt as if he makes fun of all the actresses he tries to praise. He describes the word camp as "a disguise that fails", and uses camp to describe Marlene Dietrich. Marlene may have descended into Camp in her later years, but it seems as if he denies the fact that she was even a legitimate actress (this is just the only example I cite, trust me, their are many many more). He also doesn't like Patti LuPone, so he avoids her completely. Well, I don't like Linda Eder very much, but you can be damned sure that if I were to write a book like this I would include some nice info on her. This book should have been much more objective, but alas, Clum fails. I would never want to go to the theater with this man. If reading a book of his is this unenjoyable, I can't imagine what he's like in person.
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