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The World Ahead | Culture in 2024

A spate of new musicals will cheer the spirits in 2024

There is nothing like a bit of pure escapism

Actors Rafa Reyes, Gerardo Esparza, Mayelah Barrera, Juan Danner perform in El Otro Oz.
Image: Jeremy Daniel/L-R Rafa Reyes, Gerardo Esparza, Mayelah Barrera, Juan Danner

By Rachel Lloyd

Musicals are finding their rhythm again. After an off-beat couple of years, attendance on Broadway and in the West End is approaching or exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Theatres are once again bolstering the economies of New York and London. The musical genre, long derided as uncool, has been given a boost by “Barbie”, 2023’s biggest film, which was partly inspired by the technicolour musicals of the mid-20th century.

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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2024 under the headline “All-singing, all-dancing”

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