Lee Wilson is an astonishingly accomplished entertainment professional but like all who started careers in tights and pointe, tap, or jazz shoes, she identifies as a dancer through and through. Her memoirs Rebel On Pointe (University of Florida Press, 2014) and I Danced On Broadway (McFarland Books, 2024) give the reader an insider’s view into an extraordinarily successful multi-faceted career.
Cover – Rebel On Pointe by Lee Wilson – Photo courtesy of the author.
The first book focused on Ms. Wilson’s decision to leave what promised to be a major European ballet career at twenty-one to dance on Broadway, a world in which she felt that men and women were treated equally. The second book, which is the focus of this review, dives into that choice. She shares her experiences through what she claims is a feminist viewpoint. The book reads like a conversation between you, your favorite aunt, or your mom’s best friend. She tells you about her life as if you should know each character she is talking about. You may know enough of them to keep nodding along. You follow her but make mental notes to check in with Google after you go home. I followed up with many Google check-ins to find additional information on each name dropped. The book is fun and gossipy, though I question whether the label of feminist, particularly an intersectional one, applies. It is a privileged mid-century white woman’s view of feminism, which, nevertheless, leads to some poignant and compelling insights.
Cover – I Dance On Broadway – Photo courtesy of the author.
Ms. Wilson focuses on three intersections of feminism and Broadway; her marriage, her quest to stay and appear young, and some truly insightful deconstructions of Broadway shows. The story of her marriage follows the path of many successful women. I won’t spoil the specifics here, but my hope for its success was dashed. The quest for youth is challenging in the book. Ms. Wilson seems to think it a point of pride that she played children well into her 40s, but there is a bittersweet quality to the writing, perhaps a yearning to use her knowledge and vast experience as an adult on stage. Some of the actions that she took to appear young feel rather cringy (to use a current “young” slang term) and I wonder what her career would have looked like had she embraced her age, while still not giving into the stereotypes and limits of what a dancer can do. This is not to diminish the formidable success that she had!
Lee Wilson as Dainty June in “Gypsy” – Photo courtesy of the author.
The most successful passages in the book look at golden age musicals through a more modern lens. For example, Carousel is often held up as a problematic work due to the abusive relationship between Billy Bigalow, his love Julie Jordan, and his daughter Louise. Ms. Wilson looks deeper at the cycle of abuse, particularly the sexual harassment perpetuated by Mrs. Mullin on Billy and how it lays the groundwork for his eventual downfall. While it doesn’t excuse the violence that he perpetrates, it does illuminate cycles of abuse and casts a wider light on the issue. Several shows are broken down throughout the book, and the analyses are interesting and worth discussion. The breakdown of the long-running Fantastiks is particularly wonderful.
Photo courtesy of the author.
There are some missed opportunities. Ms. Wilson doesn’t talk about the power of women in the arts, the differences she experienced when working with female rather than male leadership, or the inequity of pay and opportunity for women in theater, especially as they age. She touches on the issues but doesn’t dive in. The book is engaging without the deep dive, though I wonder what could have been.
Director Louis Berke and Lee Wilson wearing the Gypsy Robe on opening night – Photo courtesy of the author.
The book is full of wonderful descriptions and experiences, is a paean to the power of dance and dancers and includes some juicy take downs of power players from Hollywood and Broadway. She also had incredible success as a commercial actor and worked extensively in feature film and television. I laughed out loud at her description of driving through Hollywood, loved her comparison of Stephen Sondheim with the Rogers and Hammerstein duo, and found her audition descriptions visceral and engaging. I highly recommend sitting down with the book, (and a computer to cross reference) to enjoy this ride through Broadway and Hollywood history!
Lee Wilson – Photo courtesy of the author.
Lee Wilson danced on Broadway in four successive decades. She performed in hit musicals, like Hello, Dolly! and A Chorus Line, and notorious flops, like Lolita, My Love and La Strada. She worked with Broadway legends, including Agnes de Mille, Alvin Ailey, Michael Bennett, Donna McKechnie, and Bernadette Peters. She currently lives, dances, and writes in Los Angeles.
I Danced On Broadway is available through McFarland Books here, and at all your favorite bookstores; brick and mortar and online.
To learn more about Lee Wilson, please visit her website.
Written by Nancy Dobbs Owen for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: I Danced On Broadway by Lee Wilson – Image layout by LADC.
