The purpose of this thesis is to confirm the widely acknowledged fact that the social, cultural, historical, and political contexts of a specific nation and people exert a significant influence on the formation of a musical, and further to demonstrate...
The purpose of this thesis is to confirm the widely acknowledged fact that the social, cultural, historical, and political contexts of a specific nation and people exert a significant influence on the formation of a musical, and further to demonstrate that these factors continue to function as a central axis of adaptation in the process of overseas localization. The musical Elisabeth serves as a particularly suitable case for elucidating these relations of influence. To this end, this study argues that the narrative core of the Vienna production of Elisabeth is structured around the theme of “refusal,” which constitutes one aspect of female subjectivity. Moreover, it examines how this female subjectivity is refracted and transformed in the process of localization. In doing so, I will contend that an understanding of the character known as “Death” is a crucial key to the analysis.
The second chapter analyzes the Vienna production through the theme of refusal. For the sake of analytical convenience, it draws on the theory of refusal proposed by the American political philosopher Bonnie Honig. Elisabethexhibits many aspects that do not conform to the idealized model of feminist refusal posited by Honig. Nevertheless, it also serves to further complicate and expand this model. The character that plays a central role in this process of complication is “Death,” who functions as the personification of death itself as an abstract noun, as well as of the death drive. He also symbolizes Elisabeth’s ambivalent feelings toward life. By virtue of his very existence, “Death” doubles the refusals enacted by Elisabeth within the narrative. Through this mechanism, the musical is reconstituted as a drama of refusal that is both complex and multilayered.
As noted above, the musical continues to reproduce diverse configurations of female subjectivity in its localized versions, and these forms of female subjectivity are deeply intertwined with the patriarchal foundations and broader social contexts of the respective nations. The third and fourth chapters accordingly aim to elucidate the specific characteristics that this female subjectivity assumes under the influence of these relations.
Taking shōjo bunka(girl’s culture) as its primary analytical axis, the third chapter focuses on the Takarazuka production of Elisabeth. Originally, shōjo bunka was an invention of modern Japanese patriarchy designed to cultivate “good wives and wise mothers” who would serve the nation. Over time, however, it has been developed and reshaped by women and girls in accordance with their own desires. The Takarazuka Revue, which originated as part of shōjo bunka, simultaneously upholds patriarchal values while being replete with elements that reflect and respond to the desires of its female fans. This duality also exerts a strong influence on the adaptation of Elisabeth, and the character in which these changes emerge most strikingly is “To-to,” the localized counterpart of the original character “Death.” He appears in the musical as a representation of an idealized masculinity imagined and desired by women.
The fourth chapter turns to the Korean production. The familistic mode of thought that seeks both the causes of social problems and their solutions within the family constitutes a defining feature of Korean patriarchy. Although this patriarchal familism has been weakened through two major economic crises, it has persisted by transforming into different configurations. EMK, the Korean musical production company that holds the performance license of Elisabeth, has localized overseas musicals in ways that deliberately appeal to such familistic sentiments. The Korean production of Elisabethlikewise evokes sympathy for patriarchal familism, while simultaneously portraying, through the character of “Death,” a female subject who betrays the family and transgresses the patriarchal order.