In most musicals, one can find some part of the American dream. The musical in America has been an extremely popular form of entertainment since the 1800's. It has provided Americans with a source of comedy, drama and music that has enabled them to escape from their problems and worries and enter into an escapist world, a world that often represents one's wishes and hopes for himself or his family. This concept of escaping from one's daily routines seems to be prevalent in American culture. Society often turns to forms of entertainment to feel better about life and to avoid dealing with one's problems.
Musicals are one of the sources many people have used to escape from their daily routines.
Some popular thematic American musicals that have been around for years include West Side Story, Annie, Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma, The Music Man, Damn Yankees, Carousel , Showboat, Anything Goes, and 42nd Street. . West Side Story is another example of a musical that depicts concepts of the American dream. Just being in America is a dream come true for many immigrants. Damn Yankees is also a very American musical because it is about a man obsesses with the great American past-time, baseball. A man dreams that he is Shoeless Joe Jackson, the year the Yankees lost the pennant.