Broadway Goes to War

Broadway Goes to War fits well with the existing literature concerning World War II and popular culture, and successfully connects popular culture to the complicated politics of the period. In contrast to Hollywood films, McLaughlin and Parry argue that wartime theater productions took a nuanced approach to exploring new possibilities in the interest of promoting social change. In the process, such plays also highlighted some of the challenges faced by ordinary people during the war, along with their attempts to overcome and create a better postwar world.

~Ralph W. Brown III, professor of history at the University of Louisiana, Monroe

Broadway Goes To War is a detailed description of the historical context that served as the background of what playwrights were concerned about during years of World War II.

~NewsNotes Dance Blog

McLaughlin and Parry have taken on much impressive research to accomplish this project, revealing a fascinating depiction of connections among theatrical history, culture, and politics.

~Hometowns to Hollywood

In this impeccably researched study we are shown that American theatre of the thirties and forties presented a much more balanced view of the divide in public opinion than the flag-waving Hollywood movies.

~Stage and Cinema

An engaging, thorough, slightly academic work about an overlooked period of American drama.

~Library Journal

The joy of this book is its depth and breadth. Many plays included will be familiar and expected...but more valuable is coverage of plays little known today and rarely produced. McLaughlin and Parry provide enough plot synopsis to keep readers engaged, but the key content is the penetrating analysis of the themes found in the works discussed. the book is crammed with engaging, often moving analysis.

~Choice