It represents beauty, art, and artistic performance, and that is a vital aspect of the humanities that distinguishes it from many other aspects of our culture. It exists to entertain and enlighten, rather than to teach or solve problems.
As noted, this musical compares favorably with many other musicals popular around the same time. The music is especially memorable - in fact, many popular recording artists of the time, including Barbra Streisand, had hit songs with music from the musical, and so, it found its way into pop culture and interest. I am not familiar with many Broadway musicals of the time, but it fits into the same type of cultural expression that is still popular today - the Broadway musical, which never seems to lose its appeal. Modern musicals have become a lot more staged and complex, like the "Lion King" and "Wicked," but they are essentially, the same - they tell a story through words and music, and entertain the audience with song, dance, sets,...
Not only does the theater represent entertainment and the arts, usually the theaters are beautiful, and some are even ornate. They represent an opulence that is not often experienced today, and so there is a "thrill" that comes from attending the theater with a group of like-minded people. It is a shared experience of the arts that can be quite spellbinding and memorable, and so, it represents many aspects of the humanities, and shows how the humanities truly enrich and enliven our lives. The humanities were created to help teach a more well rounded and full educational experience, and attending the theater in any form is an expression of that. The theater represents some of the most respected areas of drama, music, and art, and so, illustrates the key concepts of the humanities perfectly.
