Three Broadway musicals from throughout the 1970s- in the intentions of their creators and actors, in the reception by critics and audiences, and in the messages of the book and music themselves- reflected larger social issues of the time. Follies (1971) illustrated a narcissistic generation's concerns about marriage and aging, using as its fractured, nostalgic lens the lighthearted entertainment that existed before World War II. A Chorus Line (1975) modeled deep comfort with the language oftherapy and of coming out, workshopping itself almost endlessly and drawing record crowds with its searing honesty. Although Annie did not open until 1977, it was begun in the early part of the decade and reflects the concerns of both eras: debuting during a time of greater hope, looking four decades earlier to make the present seem less dour, and helping New York City reinvent itself. Each musical tried in its own way to come to terms with or reclaim different pieces of an American dream that seemed to be slipping away. The texts and critical responses to the three musicals under study add further insight into the deep undercurrents of the 1970s, a deceptively underwhelming decade that has been reinvigorated by historians in recent years.
