ada

well yes! (but listen)

among the many countries elisabeth has had productions in, japan is one of them, and was one of the earliest to adopt the show after its vienna premiere. the takarazuka revue put on the first japanese production of the show, and it’s an all-female theater troupe!

hanafusa mari as elisabeth & ichiro maki as death

the troupe has put on a shit ton of productions of the show since, and there are similarly a shit ton of professionally filmed performances you can watch.

however… that’s about as gay as it gets! death is depicted as a male, and honestly, i don’t love the changes made in these productions when it comes to the queer (and queer coded) content. perhaps this has changed in recent years—i don’t keep up with zuka prods much—but kissing is NOTTT happening. in moments where characters do kiss, they angle away from the audience to just give the illusion. also, rudolf and death’s subplot is stripped of it’s queerness. generally, i think it’s missing what seems like very intentional sexual tension in other prods. like, it’s just not gay anymore… i promise this is a real complaint not just yaoipill and something that plagues many productions not just these ones

i have other issues with these productions, mostly a lack of nuance and a more fairytale approach, but i still find enjoyment in them. they’re beautifully designed in every way, and there are standout casts. i like the two pictured above, but my favorite is ranno hana as elisabeth and asumi rio as death