structure of the musical. Further, Marra's article probes similar issues from the
actress' viewpoint, while Felicia Londré discusses political correctness in
American theatrical practice. These critics make abundantly clear that
ambiguity of ethnic or gender allegiance plays a decisive role in production.

The second part of the volume concentrates on the dramas of canonical
American playwrights. Although the idea of difference develops fully in recent
American drama, writers like O'Neill or Williams already pave the way for
such a dramatic motif. These playwrights re-vision the American "melting
pot," affirming the validity of cultural pluralism, albeit in a sometimes veiled
or oblique manner. They initiate the breakdown of the American canon in
favor of a plurality of aesthetic stances that is so evident in contemporary
drama. More contemporary mainstream/canonical playwrights, like Mamet or
Shepard, voice similar concerns. Articles by Miller, Bower, Robinson, Callens
and Piette clearly point to the same conflict between assimilation and
resistance, between margin and center, as that which was found in the
performance section. The link between the two parts of the book is even
further emphasized by Piette's analysis of Mamet Oleanna, which focuses
on the linguistic extension of multiculturalism, political correctness. Piette
stresses the dangers inherent in political correctness, i.e., the limitations it
imposes on the freedom of speech. His conclusions parallel Felicia Londré's
in her analysis of political correctness in production.

The third part concentrates on the works of marginal or emergent
multicultural playwrights, who have recorded the disappearance of the
American Melting Pot already announced in the works of their more
established peers. This division successively deals with Asian American,
Hispanic American, Jewish American, African American and women's drama.
Like the articles collected in Part II, the essays of Part III underline the writers'
Janus-faced stance towards the Melting Pot. Further, these essays re-state that
gender, ethnic and class issues are inextricably entertwined. Two examples will
suffice here: articles in the section on African American drama also deal with
women's drama--as is the case with the Alice Childress contribution.
Likewise, Watermeier's piece on Wendy Wasserstein The Heidi Chronicles,
while showing that this play is not merely a feminist manifesto but also a fine
instance of the subtle use of psychological realism, echoes Glenda Frank's
article. Second, this third division exemplifies the playwrights' wish to
transcend the narrow boundaries of conventional realism to express the new
multicultural realities of the United States. Witness thereof is Harry Elam's
discussion of magic realism in August Wilson and Milcha-Sanchez-Scott.
When viewed together, the sections of Part III show common ground, i.e., the
way in which sub-cultures now occupy the foreground in American drama.

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