History SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism / Theatre

* ''Film/{{Hairspray}}'', on the other hand, is unquestionably idealistic. By the end of the show, the antagonists receive their just deserts, prejudice is combated with integration on the dance show, and the heroes are happier and more united than ever.

** Then again, the greatest shows of the early Broadway era weren't as lightweight as people remember. ''Show Boat'' dealt fairly realistically with race relations, and not all of the good guys got happy endings. Creator/RodgersAndHammerstein? Hooboy. ''Theatre/{{Oklahoma}}'' has a song wherein the hero tries to convince his rival to commit suicide, and he later kills his rival and is universally praised for doing so. ''Theatre/TheKingAndI'' has two self-righteous egos butting heads, and one dies at the end. ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic''- yeah, real happy ending: they have to flee their home, leaving behind anything they can't easily carry, in order to escape the Nazis.

* Every single play by Creator/SarahKane takes a nosedive into cynicism and never comes back out. [[WideEyedIdealist Idealistic characters]] [[BreakTheCutie always end up broken]], cynical characters end up just the same, [[CrapsackWorld and most of the settings are absolutely soul-crushing.]]

* Every single play by Sarah Kane takes a nosedive into cynicism and never comes back out. [[WideEyedIdealist Idealistic characters]] [[BreakTheCutie always end up broken]], cynical characters end up just the same, [[CrapsackWorld and most of the settings are absolutely soul-crushing.]]

** [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare's]] ''RomeoAndJuliet'' is utterly cynical toward romance as a whole, portraying the two StarCrossedLovers as [[LoveMakesYouCrazy blind to the reality]] of their family feud. Even though the two feuding families finally make peace with each other after the lovers are DrivenToSuicide by their madness, it is still a highly cynical subversion of traditional love stories. You'd never know it, though, from listening to some of its very idealistic fans.

** Then again, the greatest shows of the early Broadway era weren't as lightweight as people remember. ''Show Boat'' dealt fairly realistically with race relations, and not all of the good guys got happy endings. Creator/RodgersAndHammerstein? Hooboy. ''Theatre/{{Oklahoma}}'' has a song wherein the hero tries to convince his rival to commit suicide, and he later kills his rival and is universally praised for doing so. ''TheKingAndI'' has two self-righteous egos butting heads, and one dies at the end. ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic''- yeah, real happy ending: they have to flee their home, leaving behind anything they can't easily carry, in order to escape the Nazis.

* Considering just how cynical [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark their most famous work is]], Robert Lopez, Trey Parker, and Matt Stone's ''Main/{{The Book of Mormon}} is more idealistic than one might think. Yes, it's full of shocking humor and really dark moments, but by the show's end, it becomes surprisingly [[spoiler:heartfelt and sincere, with the protagonists growing and actually helping their community. Even the BigBad does a HeelFaceTurn.]] This was definitely intentional on the part of Parker and Stone, who wanted to make an idealistic show to celebrate and lovingly parody their love of Broadway musicals.

* All over the place in {{The Hammer Trinity}}. No matter how well intentioned your actions when you play for high enough stakes (ala politics) somebody's bound to get hurt. Best exemplified with Rienne's chess game.

** Less ambiguously, ''Theatre/KingLear'', ''Theatre/{{Coriolanus}}'', ''Theatre/TimonOfAthens''. ''Theatre/TroilusAndCessida'' might be the most extreme example; it's among the least performed of Shakespeare's plays for this reason.

* Considering just how cynical [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark their most famous work is]], Robert Lopez, Trey Parker, and Matt Stone's ''Main/{{The Book of Mormon}} is more idealistic than one might think. Yes, it's full of shocking humor and really dark moments, but by the show's end, it becomes surprisingly [[spoiler:heartfelt and sincere, with the protagonists growing and actually helping their community. Even the BigBad does a HeelFaceTurn.]] This was definitely intentional on the part of Parker and Stone, who wanted to make an idealistic show to celebrate and lovingly parody their love of Broadway musicals.

** The show's finale, "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story", ends on a note of [[spoiler:subdued hope and contemplation, as Eliza Hamilton carries on the work and story of her late husband, proceeding to join the company and ask the audience [[ArcWords who will tell their story.]]]] In this regard, the show seems idealistic in the end, it falls on the viewer to make the right choices and learn the right le[[ssons.

* ''Main/{{Hairspray}}'', on the other hand, is unquestionably idealistic. By the end of the show, the antagonists receive their just deserts, prejudice is combated with integration on the dance show, and the heroes are happier and more united than ever.
* ''Main/{{Hamilton}}'' is an excellent example of the sliding scale itself.

** The show's finale, "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story", ends on a note of [[spoiler:subdued hope and contemplation, as Eliza Hamilton carries on the work and story of her late husband, proceeding to join the company and ask the audience [[ArcWords who will tell their story.]]]] In this regard, the show seems idealistic in the end, it falls on the viewer to make the right choices and learn the right lessons.

** The show's finale, "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story", ends on a note of [[spoiler:subdued hope and contemplation, as Eliza Hamilton carries on the work and story of her late husband, proceeding to join the company and ask the audience [[ArcWords who will tell their story.]]]] In this regard, the interpretation of idealism or cynicism falls on you.

* ''Main/{{Hairspray}}'', on the other hand, is unquestionably idealistic. By the end of the show, the antagonists receive their just deserts, prejudice is combated with integration on the dance show, and the heroes are happier and more united than ever.

* ''Main/{{Hairspray}}'', on the other hand, is unquestionably idealistic. By the end of the show, the antagonists receive their just desserts, prejudice is combated with integration on the dance show, and the heroes are happier and more united than ever.

* Whether Creator/WilliamShakespeare's plays are idealistic or cynical, and how much, is highly debated. The same plays can seem very different depending which critics you read.sweene

* ''Main/{{Hairspray}}'', on the other hand, is unquestionably idealistic. By the end of the show, the antagonists receive their just desserts, prejudice is combated with integration on the dance show, and the heroes are happier and more united than ever.