Once Upon a One More Time: Britney Spears takes feminism to Broadway

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It is a musical in which the songs of the pop princess will set a fairy tale with a feminist turn. Here we tell you everything

Broadway, fairytale princesses and feminist Betty Friedman are mixed in the new musical that will arrive this fall to Chicago with songs from the now classic pop princess, Britney Spears. This is Once Upon a One More Time, a title that refers to the success of the 1998 singer "… Baby One More Time ". These pop references will be mixed with feminist and literary references in this musical that plans to give a feminist turn to the fairy tales and lyrics of the pop diva.

Leer en español: Once Upon a One More Time: Britney Spears lleva el feminismo a Broadway

The diva: Britney Spears

As we said, in 1998 a 17-year-old Britney released her single "… Baby One More Time", in whose video she went out in school uniform fantasizing about the end of class. Since then Britney made her way into the music industry and conquered it with her image as a pure girl while being sexualized. After this, another bunch of 2000's hits would come as "Crazy", "I'm a Slave 4 U" or "Toxic." In 2007 she had an emotional collapse of which many spoke and that was a scandal in the press, but she returned to the industry loaded with songs that, although very criticized at that time, also became hits that are now being sung in pop clubs such as " Womanizer" and "Work B * tch".

Since her comeback, Britney has had ups and downs in her career but no doubt her place as a pop princess has not been usurped. While you might believe that Once Upon A One More Time is another attempt by the diva to give something to talk about, the return to the pop classics with this new twist will be the most talked about on Broadway. We already want to see how, 20 years after the release of the album Baby One More Time, the princesses of fairy tales can sing these songs that were written for a teenage star and then for a pop diva in a feminist context.

According to Vulture, about her participation in this project, Britney assured that "I’m so excited to have a musical with my songs — especially one that takes place in such a magical world filled with characters that I grew up on, who I love and adore".

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The musical: Once Upon A One More Time

According to the Broadway Buzz, the musical is based on a book written by Jon Hartmere (The Upside, Bare) with the direction of the Tony nominee Kristin Hanggi (Rock of Ages) and the choreography of Keone and Mari Madrid ("Love Yourself" by Justin Bieber, "World of Dance"). It is estimated that it will arrive in Chicago first and Broadway and that it will begin a pre-season in theaters starting in October of this year. There will be an opening night in November.

The official synopsis reads: "In Once Upon a One More Time, Cinderella, Snow White and the other fairytale princesses gather for their book club when a rogue fairy godmother drops The Feminine Mystique into their corseted laps, spurring a royal revelation" Thus, Britney's songs will be the soundtrack of Betty Friedan's already feminist classic.

The book: The Feminine Mystique

The Feminine Mystique is a non-fiction book by feminist activist Betty Friedan that was published in the United States in 1963 and is a classic of the so-called second wave of feminism that marked the beginning of the movement after having already achieved the female vote. The 'feminine mystique' is a concept that refers to traditional discourses that revolve around femininity and that, according to Friedan, serve to perpetuate inequalities between men and women.

It is not surprising, then, that a group of princesses who, almost by definition, obey the discourse of the feminine mystique, make more complex their own identity, defined by these discourses. It will be necessary to see how the princesses of fairy tales and the songs of Britney, both framed in the figure and in the image of the mystical and magical woman, react and mix with Friedan's work. The public will see it this fall.

Also read: Soundtracks sounded on the radio

LatinAmerican Post | Staff

Translated from "Once Upon a One More Time: Brritney Spears lleva el feminismo a Broadway"