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The Bruce Kirle Memorial Panel, ATHE Conference
  • ISSN: 1750-3159
  • E-ISSN: 1750-3167

Abstract

This article explores two popular TikTok trends that use sound bites from the original cast recordings of and . The ‘Martha Dumptruck in the Flesh’ challenge from and the ‘Yeah That Didn’t Work Out’ challenge from were, by and large, completely detached from the musicals. TikTokers who engaged with these trends, therefore, likely did not even know that the sound bites came from musicals. These musicals became what I term ‘stealth musicals’, or undercover musicals that proliferate on TikTok in ways that are completely removed from the show’s dramaturgy. As stealth musicals, and did not just go viral but viral on TikTok. I argue, therefore, that these two musicals became canonical pieces of Gen Z culture. With viral canonization, and demonstrate how cultural capital accrues in digital spaces and, as a result, sound bites such as ‘Martha Dumptruck in the flesh’ enter into a public life that extends beyond the musicals themselves. Indeed, as I propose, quoting ‘Martha Dumptruck in the flesh’ is as synonymous with Gen Z culture as it is with the musical .

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2021-12-01
2024-04-30
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http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/smt_00070_1
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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): fan studies; Generation Z; Heathers: The Musical; Six the Musical; social media; stealth musicals; TikTok

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