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Boy's Love in musicals: queerness and fandom in Chinese musicals
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Boy's Love in musicals: queerness and fandom in Chinese musicals
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Content
BOY’S LOVE IN MUSICALS
QUEERNESS AND FANDOM IN CHINESE MUSICALS
by
Shiyi Zhang
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC DORNSIFE COLLEGE OF LETTERS, ARTS AND SCIENCES
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(EAST ASIAN AREA STUDIES)
August 2024
Copyright 2024 Shiyi Zhang
ⅱ
Table of Contents
Abstract......................................................................................................................................... ⅲ
Chapter 1: Introduction.................................................................................................................. 1
Chapter 2: Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 7
Musical Fandom........................................................................................................ 7
Women Spectatorship and Boy’s Love (BL)............................................................. 9
Censorship on Homosexual Content in China......................................................... 12
Chapter 3: Methods ..................................................................................................................... 16
Chapter 4: Findings ..................................................................................................................... 19
The Attraction of Queerness.................................................................................... 19
Queerness and Fan Participation ............................................................................. 23
Censorship on Homosexuality in Chinese Musicals……………………………… 28
Chinese Musical as a Unique Space for Chinese Boy’s Love (BL)......................... 32
Chapter 5: Conclusion and Discussion......................................................................................... 35
References..................................................................................................................................... 40
ⅲ
Abstract
As the musical theater industry quickly develops in China, musicals centering the
relationship between males which are or can be interpreted as homosexual become the most
welcomed by the fans who are predominantly young women. Setting this phenomenon in the
broader context of fandom in musical theater, Boys Love culture in East Asia, and the influence
of censorship of homosexual content, this research explores one Chinese production of the
musical about queer relationships, Thrill Me, and another one subject to queer interpretation,
Apollonia, to study Chinese musical fandom, filling in the gaps of musical theater in fandom
studies and further investigating the influence of censorship on homosexuality in the Chinese
entertainment industry. Through conducting interviews with fans and browsing social media
posts of fans, this research found that the theme, story, acting, and theatrical experience together
contribute to the attractiveness of queerness in musicals to fans. As a result, fans engage in
repetitive watching of live performances and have frequent interactions, leading to popular
shipping fandoms. Censorship negatively affects the experience of many fans, though some fans
actively seek meanings from the forced changes and find their distinctive approach to
understanding and appreciating the male-male relationships under the situation, revealing the
generative nature of censorship. By and large, Chinese musical fans view the fandom as an
exceptional space compared to mainstream BL fandoms in China now due to their explicit
presentation of male same-sex relationships, the close interactions with actors they allow, and the
feeling of authenticity regarding the relationship between actors.
1
Chapter 1: Introduction
Musicals are an art form with a short history but they have experienced quick growth in
China in the last five to ten years. Receiving limited attention in the first twenty years of
development starting from late 1990s and early 2000s, musicals and the Chinese musical
industry are introduced to the public through the popular reality television Super Vocal produced
by the top Chinese entertainment channel Hunan TV in 2018 where young musical actors
perform numbers from classical foreign and Chinese musicals, leading to a sudden increasing
number of productions and fans after the show (Cheng, 2019). Building on the popularity
brought by Super Vocal and filling the vacancies of international tours of Broadway productions
and French musicals due to COVID-19 restrictions in China from 2020 to 2022, the local
Chinese productions quickly expanded and attracted a large number of fans who regularly go for
live performances of Chinese musicals and highly engage with the fandom. A popular trend that
has emerged from the development is a growing number of musicals centering the relationship
between males which are or can be interpreted as homosexual or romantic. This is part of the
popular cultural phenomenon of shipping fandoms worldwide, where fans build erotic
relationships between characters in television or cinema and sometimes celebrities in reality
through fan works, adding to or reconstructing the original texts and narratives (Parry, 2019). A
large number of the fandoms center same-sex relationships, ranging from slash fandoms that
create the homoerotic fanfic shipping male characters in television to the Boy’s Love (BL)
fandoms as known in East Asia sharing similar interests. Musicals of such stories and themes are
the most welcomed in the current boom period of Chinese musical industry among the fans who
are predominantly young women. There have been multiple successes among the all-male
musicals or musicals centering male-male relationships, including Thrill Me, Apollonia, the
2
Fiction, the Flame, the Brothers Karamazov which have been on for rounds of live performances
and even became year-round shows. The works all present queerness, depicting relationships and
stories that do not comply with heterosexual narratives and leading to fan receptions that are not
necessarily related to understandings and self-identities regarding sexualities in reality (Doty,
1993). On the one hand, queerness or same-sex relationships are presented through different
ways, in which some are explicitly homosexual and some are vaguer. On the other hand, queer
readings and interpretations may not follow the definitions and understandings about sexual
minorities in real life.
This phenomenon is set in both the context in musical industries worldwide regarding
queerness and homosexual content in Chinese entertainment. On the one hand, creators of
Chinese musicals adapt works and receive influence from musical industries of other countries,
including works and successful experiences from Broadway and Korean musicals, in displaying
queerness and attracting fans. On the other hand, such presentations are impacted and limited by
the censorship on homosexuality of the Chinese state. However, musical fandom is still a
preferred space for female fans for the looser regulations on theater compared with those on
mainstream movies and television considering the limited access of live performances in theaters
and thus the smaller groups of audience and fans of musical industry, making Chinese musicals
and its fandom a special case to study about queerness, BL, and censorship.
The Chinese production of Thrill Me is one of the most popular musicals about queer
relationships. The original off-Broadway production is adapted from the real murder of a teenage
boy Bobby Franks committed by Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb in Chicago in 1924 (Kim,
2023). Due to the homosexual relationship between Leopold and Loeb, the case widely appears
in popular cultural texts and centers on their sexuality and relationship (Churchill, 2009). The
3
musical highlights the male same-sex relationship between the two male protagonists Richard
and Nathan and their committed crimes referencing the historical case. According to the script of
Thrill Me, Richard is a charming and popular boy among his peers and he is not interested in
hanging out with Nathan, the nerdy and strange one who begs for spending time with him.
However, the two have increasing interactions because Nathan assists Richard in his plans like
committing arson, stealing, and even murdering for the thrills and the sense of superiority that
Richard aims to feel during crimes. In this process, Nathan can spend time and sometimes have
sexual intercourse with Richard as a reward for assisting the plans. Their relationship seems very
imbalanced in the first half of the show as Nathan emotionally and sexually needs Richard but
Richard treats him like he is an unimportant follower. However, Nathan purposefully left
evidence at the murder scene and admitted their crimes to the police, resulting in the two being
sentenced to life plus ninety-nine years together, part of Nathan’s plan to keep Richard with him
forever. The musical gains popularity and has multiple adaptations in different languages around
the world. The Chinese production is adapted from the Korean version that premiered in 2007
(Kim, 2023). The Chinese production of Thrill Me premiered in 2016 and was on for multiple
rounds of performances from 2020 to 2023 in Shanghai Gong Stage. Its queer content in the
story and popularity among female fans reveal interesting phenomena about the experience and
interests of musical fans, demonstrate fan participatory activities that are unique to musical
theater, and are also connected to the censorship of homosexual content in China.
Besides Thrill Me, there are more musicals sharing the content of male-male romance but
they are presented in a vague manner. This type of musical does not clearly indicate the romantic
or sexual relationship between men. Instead, the male characters are friends or brothers but they
show a certain intimacy that may be grasped and interpreted by fans as transcending their
4
relationship. The musical Apollonia, adapted from the original Korean production and launching
year-round performances in 2020 in Shanghai, is one of the works of this type. The musical
portrays three male characters, named Richard, Oscar, and Stevie who are friends in a pub in
New York during the Prohibition Era in the 1920s and early 1930s, also have shipping fandoms
for the characters themselves or the actors performing them. The attention to and interests of the
fans in this kind of musical demonstrates the capacity of queer interpretation, even in works that
do not explicitly depict male same-sex relationships.
Thrill Me and Apollonia are chosen for case studies in this research because both are
successful productions having large fandoms reflected through both live performances in theaters
and discussions on social media. A large number of fans watch the two musicals repetitively.
This has become a representative participatory mode of Chinese musical fandom and also
indicates the attraction of the two shows to the fans. Moreover, the stories and characters in the
two musicals present two types of queer musicals. Thrill Me is one of the rare productions that
clearly indicates male homosexuality in Chinese musicals, while Appolonia is a typical case
among the Chinese productions that blur the male same-sex relationships and are open to queer
readings by the audience. The two categories together consist of queer Chinese musicals and are
able to provide a full picture of popular cultural productions of queer topics and their fandoms in
Chinese society. Moreover, the elements of music also play an important role in the musicals
because the music numbers convey the emotions and facilitate the depiction of relationships
between male characters. Music also assists the spread of the musicals as the catchy songs are
mastered by a large number of fans that watch the performances multiple times.
Fandom in theater has been understudied because media fandom studies usually do not
include it due to the stereotype of theater being high culture and theater studies neglect research
5
on audiences and fans (Hills, 2017). Given the various phenomena related to theater fandom,
queerness, and censorship, this study uses the case of the Chinese version of Thrill Me and
Apollonia to study Chinese musical fandom, filling in the gaps of fandom studies in musical
theater. In addition, the exploration of Chinese theater fandoms fascinated with male-male
romance is also adding to the field of Chinese BL, which is relatively less studied compared with
BL in Japan and Korea and also is more limited in the areas and forms that are included in the
related academic research. Moreover, this study is able to shed light on same-sex relationships or
queerness more broadly in Chinese entertainment and society. Both the structure of gender and
sexuality in the worsening homophobic environment and agency of fans who appreciate the
nonheteronormative relationships are revealed by these fandoms. It is a meaningful case to fill in
gaps of theater fandom studies and Chinese BL studies as well as to explore queerness in
Chinese popular culture.
The research aims to examine how queerness in Chinese musicals attracts female fans
and influences the participation modes, including the investigation about the communication of
queer meanings between fans, actors, and production companies in the context of musical
theater. In addition, I study how censorship on homosexuality in China affects the popular
cultural texts regarding queer relationships and their fandoms. Last but not least, I explore the
uniqueness of Chinese musical fandoms as opposed to other mainstream media fandoms in
China. Through data collected from fan interviews and social media, I found the topics, plots,
characters, actors, and live performances of musicals together contribute to the attraction of the
Chinese BL musicals. As a result, fans engage in repetitive watching and increase interactions
within fan groups, between fans and actors or production companies, including the shipping
fandoms of characters and actors. The changes in Chinese BL musicals forced by censorship
6
negatively affect the experience of many fans, though some fans ignore or even reinterpret the
deletions and adjustments. Additionally, Chinese musical theater becomes a space for fans who
are fascinated by BL in China due to the development of musical industries, different levels of
censorship on homosexuality in Chinese entertainment, and the nature of musical performances
and fandoms.
7
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Musical Fandom
The direct experience of musical fandom is one of the important aspects that
differentiates theater fandom from mainstream media fandoms. Thanks to the live performances
of musicals, fans are able to be in the same physical space and times with the performers. In
addition, one of the after-show traditions of musical fans worldwide, known as stage door,
facilitates the communication between audience and actors. Stage door refers to the gathering of
fans and actors outside the stage door of theaters for interactions, where fans can talk to the
actors and express their thoughts and feelings about the shows. This kind of participatory activity
allows fans to directly communicate with the performers and offer their comments and critiques
regarding the performances (Hills, 2017). In addition, the stage door works as a space that breaks
the boundaries between performers and audiences during shows and creates a sense of equity by
mingling different types of people (Rush & Lim, 2022). The nature of live performances and the
mode of face-to-face communication with actors allow the fans to become very close and
interactive with the performers.
Meanwhile, online spaces are also important for the fans of musicals. Considering the
limited availability and high cost of live performances, it is very common for a number of fans to
access musicals online through official websites of production companies as well as illegitimate
bootleg videos uploaded and transferred by fans (Hillman-McCord, 2017a). Social media also
facilitates the promotions of musicals and the building of larger and wider fandoms. One of the
most famous examples is the global fandom of Hamilton, which started to gain popularity
through memes spread on the Internet and YouTube videos of a performance by Lin-Manuel
Miranda before the show was on Broadway in 2015, and continued to receive attention from fans
8
due to the digital lottery for show tickets and digital album of original cast (Hillman-McCord,
2017b). Additionally, social media also enables musical fans to interact and even form a
parasocial relationship with the musical performers influenced by celebrity culture (Clark, 2017).
Social media also plays an important role in enlarging and maintaining the fan groups of
musicals.
Having both face-to-face interactions and online communication, musical theater fandom
maintains a close relationship with the actors, which are the focuses of many musical fans. The
tendency to pay attention to actors and the star system built around it has a historical tradition in
musical fandom. In the late nineteenth century, matinee girls, the female fans of male idols going
to watch the performances and interacting with actors at the stage door of theaters in New York
City, became an important group of musical theater audiences at the time (Heim, 2016). A
similar phenomenon is observed in the West End of London around the same period when some
good-looking leading actors became matinee idols welcomed by female audiences (McWilliam,
2023). Fans took the opportunities of musical performances and stage door to express their
romantic desire and imagination of the male stars as well as to socialize with fellow fans who
shared the feelings (Heim, 2016). Such gender structure of actors and fans are also found in
musical industries today, influencing the present musical productions. For example, Korean
musicals are known for having multiple groups of casts and casting K-pop stars where the actor
of male leads is considered an important factor in appealing to audiences (Rush & Lim, 2022).
The interests and viewership of female fans in male actors consists of an important phenomenon
and structure in the fan-actor relationship of musical fandom.
9
Women Spectatorship and Boy’s Love (BL)
The attention of female audiences to males in popular culture is not a new phenomenon.
Male stars of Hollywood are aware of the gaze from heterosexual women showing female desire
and fantasy (Kwon, 2019). Such a trend can also be observed in the entertainment industry in
East Asia nowadays, including the musical fandoms. In Kim’s research (2023) observing and
analyzing the female fandom of the musical Thrill Me in Korea, the author found that a number
of fans, especially single heterosexual women, highly value the opportunity of stage door after
shows where they can meet and interact with the male actors they love. Women's spectatorship
of men adjusts the previously traditional dynamic of gaze in popular culture that is associated
with gender. Compared with being the objects of male gaze, women in these fandoms now are
subjects (Bai, 2022). Spectatorship of male bodies in cinema and theater is considered
empowering for many female audiences.
Women’s interests in male stars are not limited to the romantic or sexual desire for
individual male stars from a heterosexual perspective, but they can also be attractions to samesex relationships between males. This phenomenon has been studied by media fandom scholars
since the early 1990s, finding that fascinations of male-male romance are transformed into fan
production and become an important component of media fandom, like slash, the fanfiction
about homoerotic stories of two male characters usually from television or cinema (Jenkins,
1992). Female fans enjoy seeking and interpreting codes about relationships between male
characters in visual texts, and on many occasions tend to understand and extend those
relationships as homoeotic under their gaze (Bacon-Smith, 1992). When women are consuming
male homosexual content, they are no longer subject to the oppression felt as women watching
heterosexual media and they are offered the opportunities to empower themselves by using their
10
power to look (Neville, 2015). Through comprehending and fantasizing the romance between
males, female readers and audiences gain the chance to liberate themselves from the position of
being gazed at and to assert more power in defining and interpreting intimacy, romance, and sex
in human relationships.
Such a fan phenomenon favoring male same-sex relationship is also an important one in
East Asian popular culture, known as Boy’s Love (BL). BL refers to the female-oriented malemale romance that originally emerged from the Japanese fandom of manga and anime and then
extended to a wider range of media, fandoms, and other regions of East Asia (Madill et al.,
2018). Female fans in East Asian BL fandom also form a self-identity called “fujoshi”, meaning
the “rotten girl” (Bai, 2022). The self-identities of BL fandoms in East Asia are highly associated
with the social norms and environment on gender in East Asia, which is highlighted in the
related academic research. In Yukari’s research (2015) on BL in Japan and gender, she argues
that shōnen’ai (Japanese boys love) appears and develops partly as a result of the avoidance of
discussion about sex and sexuality in Japanese society, so women make use of the space
provided by Shōnen’ai to exchange ideas about the content. Kwon’s study (2021) indicates that
the BL fantasies of East Asian women also reflected the repressed female desires which are
highly associated with the patriarchal system in the region supported by Confucian traditions. BL
fans enjoy this space to express their dissatisfaction toward the unequal gender structure in
family and marriage, to create and consume works that are not encouraged in mainstream media,
explore different gender relationships, and experience pleasure (Kwon, 2015; Kee, 2008; BaconSmith, 1992; Stanley, 2008; Jenkins, 1992). Based on Kown’s study (2019) on Korean shipping
fandom of male celebrities, fans sometimes connect the male-male romance in BL and the gay
community in the real world, considering the shipping content and practices more than fantasies.
11
The BL cultures and fandom has been a significant phenomenon in East Asia and has attracted
the attention of scholars for its relation with the gender issues in reality.
The emergence and development of BL in China is also a major part of East Asian BL,
which started from illegitimate publications of BL manga in the early 1990s and kept evolving
since then (Chang & Tian, 2021). The genre is called danmei among Chinese fans, and television
or web series adapted from danmei fiction are referred to as dangai drama. Dangai fandom has
become one of the largest BL fandoms in China in the last decade, with the series Addicted
(2016), Guardian (2018), the Untamed (2019), and Word of Honor (2021) attracting the largest
number of fans and even making impacts internationally. The later three series are called “dangai
1.0”, “dangai 2.0”, and “dangai 3.0” respectively by fans, and fans were expecting a popular
dangai drama every year during the time considering the reputation of these works and the time
proximity between them. However, the dangai drama and BL culture has been highly influenced
by the state censorship on homosexuality due to its focus on relationship between males, which
will be elaborated in the next section.
Apart from the fascination with male-male romance generally in popular culture, the
musical as an art form also has an impression related to queerness. Broadway musicals have a
history of being associated with homosexuality and the industry is often assumed to consist of a
considerable number of gay men (Miller, 1998; Lovelock, 2019). This relationship between
homosexuality and musicals is also observable in East Asia, as queerness in musical productions
serves the critical function of attracting audiences and keeping fans. As gay cultural texts and
their commodification in Korea keep growing recently, the Korean musical industry grasps the
trend of expanding and retaining fans through the use of male-homosexual romance. One of the
examples is the Korean adaptation of Thrill Me, where the production company put great efforts
12
in casting good-looking male actors to cater to the needs of female audiences, and make use of
shipping fandoms of multiple pairs of actors to attract fans (Kwon, 2016). The Taiwanese
musical industry has also made attempts to produce musicals of BL themes. The localization of
Taiwan BL discourses in the musical as well as the marketing strategies used by the production
troupe, including encouraging fan production and having distinctive additional scenes for
different casts, become important contributors for the building and growing of its fandom (Lin,
2018). The successful experience of Korea and Taiwan in producing BL musicals presents the
close relation between male-male romance in musicals and the female interest in these content
given the context of East Asia.
Set in the broader context of female audiences spectatorship of male bodies, the media
fandoms for male same-sex relationship worldwide and the BL fandoms in East Asia are
significant phenomena that is closely related to the reality of gender, sexuality, and intimate
relationships where female fans use the kind of media and fandoms as their space to empower
themselves in the gender unequal and heteronormative world. In the meantime, queerness and
BL is also an important element in the musical industry worldwide where works with male samesex relationships attract a great number of female fans. Chinese musicals of BL themes, set in the
intersection of male-male romance fandoms and musicals depicting queerness, is a special area
to be explored.
Censorship on Homosexual Content in China
As China has a slow and difficult progress on LGBTQ+ rights and the state is strictly
examining and controlling the content regarding it in the media, Chinese BL falls into the
category that is significantly influenced by the state censorship on homosexuality.
Decriminalized in 1997 and depathologized in 2001, homosexuality remains a controversial
13
discourse in China (Zhao et al., 2017). Though the equality and inclusion of LGBTQ+
communities can be observed in metropolitan areas in China, the general social environment is
still unfriendly toward sexual minorities, and a strong sentiment of homophobia is revealed
through state policies. The government is taking an ambiguous position toward homosexuality,
being neither completely prohibiting nor supporting it, and the legalization of same-sex marriage
is not achieved or expected in People’s Republic of China (Zhao et al., 2017). Moreover, the
state initiated more policies and acts cracking down on the LGBTQ+ communities and
worsening the circumstances of the group in the last several years. Many related organizations
and events have been suspended since 2021, including multiple university groups and major
pride campaigns (Liang, 2023; Hsu, 2024). Beijing LGBT Center, one of the largest Chinese
LGBTQ+ organizations founded in 2008, announced its closure and indicated pressure from the
Chinese state in 2022 (Gao et al., 2023). In 2021, government agencies made statements
criticizing the overly feminine traits of the young male population as part of the solutions to the
low marriage and fertility rates, with sexual minorities also being targeted by this attitude of the
state (Liang, 2023; Gao et al., 2023). The LGBTQ+ community in China has been facing an
unfriendly political environment in recent years and does not expect a pessimistic future given
the multiple crack downs from the state.
The social and political agenda towards homosexuality are reflected in the realms of
popular culture as well, where explicit homosexual content is usually prohibited in the
mainstream media and representations of homosexual population are lacking (Hu & Li, 2019).
The acts of restriction on homosexuality are applied to both online and offline, from blocking
and deleting social media accounts posting homosexual content to prohibiting fan practices
supporting the cause at live concerts of pop singers who are considered LGBTQ+ icons (Hsu,
14
2024). As content explicitly about homosexuality is strictly censored, some people enter the
space of BL fandom to communicate related ideas though it also has experienced multiple waves
of sanctions from the wider society and the state in the last two decades (Chang & Tian, 2021;
Zheng, 2019). The BL fans belonging to the real-person shipping fandom who are fascinated by
the romance between male celebrities in the real world, not just fictional characters in television
or cinema, could encounter greater precarity due to the influence of social media platforms,
social and cultural norms about gender and sexuality, and politics in the nation (Tang, 2023).
One of the most significant events regarding Chinese BL in recent years is the state blocking the
access of Archive of Our Own (AO3) in China after some fans of Xiao Zhan, the famous actor
starring in popular dangai drama the Untamed, were annoyed by a piece of fanfiction from the
real-person shipping fandom depicting Xiao as a sexual worker with gender dysphoria and thus
reported it along with the platform AO3 to the government in February, 2020 (Tang, 2023; Xiao,
2023). This incident led to strong reactions in the wider community of shipping fandoms as well
as fan works creators and consumers, opposing the acts of Xiao’s fans and expressing anger
towards the homophobia, transphobia, heteronormativity, and the disrespect of free expression
reflected from the incident (Xiao, 2023). However, these collective actions did not change the
result of blocking AO3, demonstrating the difficult situation that Chinese BL fans are facing
now.
Though the norms and policies put threats on Chinese BL fandoms, the interests and
desires of fans still exist. Moreover, not only censorship has the function of decreasing and even
erasing affecting content, it also has a generative nature that prohibitions and repression of
discussion about sex may lead to a proliferation and explosion of discourses in different ways
(Foucault, 1990). Because explicit discussion about homosexuality is highly restricted, the
15
interests in the discourse and oppression felt by individuals result in generating connotation
about same-sex male relationships in all places (Miller, 1990). This means the possibility of
understanding any man or male-male relationship as homosexual. These phenomena are clearly
reflected in the broader fandom of Chinese entertainment industry and also the one in Chinese
musicals, where fans cluster in fandoms of works with male homosexual or same-sex romance
relationships and consider these fandoms particularly valuable due to the unavailability and
restrictions in most works. In addition, fans tend to pay much or even all attention to the malemale romance in these works, understanding and interpreting the stories and characters from this
specific perspective.
To conclude, sexual minorities as well as media and art works about same-sex
relationships are facing an unfriendly and challenging political, social, and cultural environment
in China recently. Chinese musicals of BL themes and their fandoms are thus also influenced by
these. The musical performances are subjected to censorship on homosexuality and the fan
participation is also affected by them, which are elaborated in the correlated section in the
findings of the thesis.
16
Chapter 3: Methods
This qualitative research uses the method of semi-structured interviews and digital
ethnography for data collection and analysis.
In total, 10 interviewees who self-identify as female fans of Chinese musicals and have
watched the live performances of Thrill Me and Apollonia were recruited for this study through
social media posts. The interviewees vary in time, frequency, focuses, and experience of
watching the two studied musicals and generally being musical fans, providing different
perspectives and stories about being part of the BL musical fandom in China. All the interviews
were conducted one on one using video conferencing, each lasting between 40 minutes and
slightly over 1 hour. A preliminary interview guide was prepared beforehand listing the
questions or themes that hope to be covered, including the experience and feelings of watching
the two musicals and participating in fan activities, viewpoints about shipping practices and
fandoms of both characters and actors, and opinions on censorship happening to Chinese
musicals. During the interview, the orders and specific questions asked were adjusted for each
interviewee. Follow-up and extra questions were also asked based on the answers of each
respondent. At the end of each interview, respondents were encouraged to freely share anything
related that was not previously mentioned in the interviews, a helpful method for letting
interviewees further elaborate upon their opinions and for sometimes bringing in new themes.
Each interviewee was clearly notified beforehand that the interviews would be recorded for the
purpose of coding, analyzing, and writing. They were promised that the recordings would not be
shared with anyone else. To protect the information of each interviewee, all the names used in
this thesis are pseudonyms.
17
Social media posts on Weibo (Chinese X-like platform) and Xiaohongshu (Chinese
Instagram-like platform) were also widely read and analyzed for this research. Among the great
number and wide range of social media posts about Thrill Me, Apollonia, and their fandoms,
repos written and posted by fans are the main materials examined in this research. “Repo” is the
abbreviation for the “report”, which refers to the records and commentaries of a performance by
fans, usually posted on Weibo and Xiaohongshu, the major social media platforms in China that
Chinese musical fans actively use for fan-related content. Repo is very important for Chinese
musical fandom for not only is it a record and sharing of fans who attend the live performance,
but it also serves the function of connecting with fans who are not present in the theater and
constructing and echoing a collective comment for a musical. Posted on social media, repos are
read and discussed by fans, influencing whether fans will choose to go for a live performance of
the show and how a musical is evaluated. Through reading and coding repos, the attention and
experience of fans can be identified and examined. Given the multiple rounds of performances of
Thrill Me from 2020 to 2023 and ongoing live shows of Apollonia, both fandoms have a rich
number of repos written and have been publicly posted on social media by fans, making these
sources suitable for this study. It serves the function of supplementing the findings generated by
the limited number of interviews and providing more accurate facts and details about the
performances as most repos are written right after watching the show with very clear memories.
To protect the information and identity of fans, the findings are presented in this article without
showing the account names of the fans.
Through the data collected from interviews and digital ethnography, the section of
findings presents why and how female fans of Chinese musicals are attracted to the queerness in
BL musicals, how the queerness influences fan participation, how censorship on homosexual
18
content impact the fan experience, and how Chinese musicals become a unique space in Chinese
BL. The findings are mainly drawn from the fan experience of Thrill Me as it is very special
among Chinese musicals for its explicit presentation of homosexuality and has a greater fan base.
Most interviewees also share and reflect more regarding the understandings and experience with
Thrill Me. However, Apollonia well assists supplementing the findings through showing how the
implicitness of male-male romance affects BL fandoms in China.
19
Chapter 4: Findings
The Attraction of Queerness
The theme of male homosexuality itself is a major attraction for the audience and fans of
Thrill Me. Several interviewees indicated they decided to watch the musical performances of
Thrill Me at first because they learnt about the male homosexual relationship in the work. This is
a factor for those who were already musical fans at the time and those who had never watched
musicals by then. The fact that such a theme is rarely seen in Chinese popular culture stimulates
the curiosity of fans and audience about how it could be demonstrated on stage. “There is no
Chinese musical of homosexual theme. No works that are pure about homosexuality”, said
Taylor who bought tickets for Thrill Me for the male homosexual relationship in the work at the
start. By “pure”, Taylor and other interviewees who share the perspective strengthen the
explicitness of male homosexual relationship between the two protagonists Richard and Nathan.
In the meantime, it is also a comparison between Thrill Me and other Chinese productions like
Apollonia that are vague and connotative about the relationship between male characters. In
contrast to diverse understandings like romantic love, bromance, and friendship in other works,
Thrill Me has a clear and fixed answer about the relationship, making it stand out among Chinese
musicals. The theme of homosexuality in a Chinese musical alone can be attractive to female
fans or potential audiences.
In addition, the stories and characters coupled with male-male romance are important
factors that female fans become lovers of BL musicals like Thrill Me. When asked about the
understanding of the relationship between Richard and Nathan in the musical, nearly all the
respondents said that the relationship in the musical is very unhealthy and the story is dark to
some degree, which is one of the reasons why fans are obsessed with the show. “I really love
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reading or watching unhealthy relationships…I like the stories that are BE (bad endings), which
make me feel good”, stated by Tracy. Interviewees provided answers reflecting different
perspectives and focuses about the story of Thrill Me. Both Diana and Irene discussed how the
calculation and exchange between Richard and Nathan outweigh the love they have for each
other. Bailey highlighted how the relationship is about who is in control, and Taylor understood
it as a DS relationship, the erotic practices of Domination and Submission, on the mental level.
The understandings of fans, though having variation, reflect a desire to watch and feel
relationships that are unusual and may be deemed abnormal or crazy in reality. When set in a
male homosexual relationship, which is also relatively far away from the everyday life of most
Chinese female fans, the musical brings great excitement for the audience.
Another aspect that is critical for the Chinese BL musicals as attractions are the cast. In
the case of Thrill Me, actors are particularly important. Taylor explained, “how the musical
makes people feel depends on the actors and how they present the characters since the set of the
musical is so simple and there are only two characters”. Other interviewees also indicated that
they would not become fans and watch the live performances multiple times only for the story of
the musical. Diana and Phoebe described the plot as “ordinary” and “okay”, which is a comment
that is shared among the fans of Thrill Me. Therefore, the performances of actors become nearly
the only variable to the presentation of the musical, making fans care more about who plays in
the musical, how they play, and whether there is chemistry between the two actors on stage.
Several interviewees showed their low interests in the pairs of actors whose performances are too
standard and stable. This type of actor strictly follows the scripts and has excellent acting and
vocal skills, “however they did not really strike me…their acting is in a style of textbooks”,
commented by Irene.
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Instead of a standard performance, fans expect to see strong feelings between the
characters presented by the actors and long for differences and variations in shows. The emotions
and chemistry between two actors in each performance are considered a core of Thrill Me. Diana
made a comparison between different pairs that she watched before, and explained that some
pairs show the tenderness between lovers which makes the performances especially attractive,
while some pairs only demonstrate twenty percent of the tension between the characters and
make her question if the musical is really good and deserves the popularity. Some interviewees
even consider the strong chemistry and romantic love between characters as a highlight in the
Chinese version as opposed to the original off-Broadway version, “Chinese production does not
put too much effort in describing the details of crimes, though it is promoted as a musical about
crime and mystery. Instead, the descriptions of crimes are for the depictions of the relationship,
making the audience pay attention to the feelings of two. There are more details for the purpose
of queerbaiting, highlighting how the two are deeply attached to each other,” said Taylor. Some
interviewees discussed that the best performances happen in certain periods influenced by the
actor’s familiarity to their partners. Bailey argued that the performances in the middle stage are
usually the best because the actors are familiar enough with the shows and their partners but not
to a point of numbness due to too much repetition. “The problem with performing too many
times is that actors perform in a way more like brothers or friends than lovers or sexual partners.
I guess it is impossible for heterosexual male performers to become in love with their partner and
display the sexual tension in every performance,” explained by Bailey. Such comments reveal
the tendency of fans to expect and look for certain codes and styles of performances fulfilling
fan’s specific understandings about the relationships and intimacy. All these opinions of
interviewees indicate the importance of emotions and relationships in the play and the
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expectations of fans on the feelings and chemistry to be demonstrated between two male actors.
In addition, fans also state their interests in finding and seeing changes and varieties in
performances. On the one hand, fans go to performances of different pairs because every pair has
its styles and levels of emotions. Specific chemistry and interactions can only be found in some
pairs. Rebecca provided an example that one actor of Nathan focused more on his
characterization as Nathan when pairing with most performers of Richard, but only “put his
energy to Richard” when he performed with the actor that he was the most familiar with and had
a shipping fandom with. On the other hand, fans like Irene are curious about how the same actors
and pairs present new ways of understanding and chemistry as they constantly perform the
musical. These focuses and desires all lead to the repetitive watching of fans, which will be
further discussed in the next section about fan participation.
Similar to Thrill Me, other Chinese musicals like Apollonia which are open to
interpretations of male-male romance also attract some fans through characters and actors.
Although Thrill Me gains popularity because of its explicitly about the homosexual relationship
in the story, Apollonia fascinates fans with the vagueness of male-male relationship in the work
and fans enjoy exploring the various presentations from different actors. Daisy and Rebecca
summarized that the relationship between Richard and Oscar in Apollonia can range from friends
or brothers, a homosexual man in love with a heterosexual man, to the two having feelings for
each other, influenced by the different ways of acting and the states of performers in each live
performance. Rebecca also highlighted that some moments that touch her can only be found in
certain actors in a certain period, “it is very limited, only belonging to the two actors. I tried to
find it from others but never found it again…the moments in the musical did not feel the same
when the relationship between those two actors worsened in reality”. The answers from
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interviewees demonstrates the importance of understanding and acting of actors when presenting
a male-male relationship that is interpreted and appreciated by fans.
Last but not least, the attraction of queerness is greatly facilitated by the theatrical
experience as fans are sitting close or at specific positions in the theaters. Taylor shared that she
was shocked by the strong emotions that actors expressed in Thrill Me when seeing tears burst
out from the eyes of an actor from the first row. The physical proximity between the audience
and performers significantly contribute to the unique appeals that fans feel in theaters. In the case
of Apollonia, the watching experience is even more special because not only is the audience
close to the actors, the audience also faces different directions. Phoebe talked about her
experience sitting in the back of the stage once and her distinct experience feeling the emotions
of Richard to Oscar because she was able to capture a facial expression of the actor of Richard
when he was facing back. “I was in the closest seat to him at that scene so I could notice that
details”, Phoebe explained that experience is very unique and personal to her because she might
be the only one who was able to observe that in the theater at that moment due to the seat
arrangements. Such details amplify the emotions that fans are able to feel and help add to the
richness of understanding about the male-male relationship in these musicals.
To conclude, the theme of male homosexuality, the story focusing on the relationship
between two male characters, the acting of performers displaying strong feelings and having
changes, as well as theatrical experience of fans facilitated by space arrangement in the theater
together contribute to the attractiveness of queerness for female fans of Chinese musicals.
Queerness and Fan Participation
The attraction of queerness in Chinese musicals influence the ways in which fans engage
with the musicals and also the interactions within fandoms.
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As mentioned in the previous part, fans of Thrill Me watch the live performances
repetitively. All the interviewees of this study revealed that they watched Thrill Me multiple
times. Such a trend is also reflected in the repos on Weibo by fans, where fans summarize their
impressions and comments for each pair of actors in tables. One important reason behind this
participation mode is the uniqueness of each live performance, that each performance is
distinctive in its level of emotions decided by who the actors are and how the actors express.
“You will never have the opportunity to experience it again if you miss it, so fans try to watch as
many performances as possible”, said Taylor. In addition, fans also watch it repetitively for the
details in the musicals. To observe and feel the relationship between Richard and Nathan
through the performances, fans pay close attention to many acting details as they reveal the
feelings and emotions, including pause and tones in lines and facial expressions. Fans also pay
great attention to the physical contacts between actors on stage during the show, which are
considered critical for understanding the intimacy between the two male characters in the story.
For shippers, the attention to physical contacts also involves certain imagination and comparison.
Ivy said that the physical contacts are important sources for shipping during live performances
that she would imagine about what the two actors were thinking about and feeling in those
moments. In addition, she discussed the significance of reading repos by other shippers, where
fans compare the details of physical contacts between different pairs of actors and highlight the
movements and intimacy not found in other pairs but only in the actors shipped. Tracy also
resonates about the importance of repos, which are very detailed and attractive to read. In repos
she can always find details that she did not notice while watching live performances and realize
understandings about the relationship between two characters that she did not think about before.
These new findings further raise her interests in the musical and encourage her to go to the live
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performances repetitively in order to observe the details and experience the interpretations
herself. Although exploration of details are one of the reasons for fans to watch the musical for
multiple times, Bailey discussed that “fans to some extent are in the theater again and again to
see how the two love and “hook up” with each other”, as the intimate relationship and physical
contact between two males are excitements and attractions for the female fans.
In addition, the queerness in the story also boosts interactions of multiple parties with
various focuses. In the case of Thrill Me, fans conduct all kinds of preparation work and have
many interactions within the fan community. Due to knowing the musical is based on the
historical case of Leopold and Loeb and being curious about the male homosexual relationship,
many fans read materials about the case and watch films based on this real history before going
to the live performances of musicals. Several interviewees mentioned that they engaged in these
preparation activities, and Rebecca even described watching these materials as “inevitable”
because too many were actively uploaded to social media by fans during the time and they
appeared in the home page. Daisy said she had never done so much preparation work for a
musical before, and one question that she had the whole time while reading and watching is
whether there was true love between Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, displaying how such
preparations are closely related to the male-male relationship in the story, as the representations
of homosexuality are diverse in different historical periods from indicating deviance and
pathology, highlighting moral corruption, and to dealing with psychological and social norms in
the later stage (Churchill, 2009). Tracy highlighted how researching and discussing with fellow
fans is an important part of her fan activity in the Thrill Me fandom, though she also discussed
how the idea exchange is “over analysis and imagination of fans” to fill in the gaps in the simple
plot and characterization of the musical production that does not present characters and
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relationships clear enough compared to historical materials and other media presentations. Fans
already started to interact with each other and created a sense of fan community at this stage.
The interactions go beyond the fans community and are also communicated between
fans, actors, and even production companies. After watching a live performance, not only do fans
detail their collective understanding of characters and their relationship in repos and discuss with
friends, some of them talk with actors themselves about character comprehension and
presentation. Phoebe shared that she messaged the actor on Weibo after she watched a live
performance of Apollonia, writing about how she had new understanding about the character
Richard and his relationship with Oscar provided details that she observed as proof, hoping to
know the perspective of the actor. “I want to know if he came up with that way of presenting
Richard himself and incorporated it into his acting”, said Phoebe. In these fan-actor interactions,
actors and their acting are no longer objects being analyzed and commented on by the audience,
but are included in the conversation with fans to jointly discuss the characters and story. At the
same time, the production companies are also aware of the interests of fans in male-male
romance through fan reactions on social media, including some directly stating their preferences
of pairings in Thrill Me in the comment section of Weibo posts by production companies. Some
of these requests were accepted by the companies and thus became true in later rounds of
performances. Taylor also argued that production companies of Chinese musicals learnt to
promote pairs, instead of individual actors, when casting after seeing the success brought by
shipping fandoms in Thrill Me. The companies even put efforts in forming new pairs of male
actors for shipping, knowing the attraction of queerness in musical fandoms.
The shipping fandoms in musicals like Thrill Me is also a significant aspect of the
interactions between different individuals and parties. As mentioned by Daisy and other
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interviewees, the pairing of actors in Thrill Me is critical. The shipping fandoms are collective
efforts of fans, actors, and production companies, combining the story and characters inside the
theater and what happens outside of the theater. Fans actively bring the after-show interactions
and relationships between actors to the musical depicting same-sex relationships. Tracy and Ivy
said the story of Thrill Me is more intriguing to them thinking about the two actors, which are
shipped by them and also a large number of fans in Chinese musical fandom, because they play
different kinds of relationships in other musicals and have frequent and intimate interactions off
stage. When watching the live performance of Thrill Me, not only do they see the story, they also
find the intimacy and complexity in the relationship between the two actors from their
interpretation. Sometimes the shipping is so important that Ivy felt the story of Thrill Me is like a
setting in fanfic for the two actors. In addition, the story of Thrill Me and narrative in shipping
fandom are transferred to musicals like Apollonia that does not provide clear answers for the
relationship between male characters and is vague about the queerness. Ivy shared her
observation that many fans started to ship characters and actors in Apollonia after they saw Thrill
Me, indicating how the queer interpretations transcend the musical that clearly has queer
relationships. The efforts of fans in shipping fandom also contains fanfic and fan-made products
written and made by fans and circulated within fandoms. Though some fans said the writing of
fanfic is only a self imagination and expression that is kept to themselves, many fans like
Rebecca posted her works online and were able to feel how fan works reflect the popularity of
shipping fandoms and even contribute to the growth of them. The fan-made products like
refrigerator magnets and cards that Lara and her fellow shipper friends made share a similar
purpose of advertising and enlarging shipping fandoms since “exchange with shippers of other
fandoms” is an important step. At the same time, the actors are well aware of the preferences and
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needs of fans, so some use social media platforms, like Weibo and its fan chat groups, to present
materials that conform to the understandings and imaginations of fans. Such tendency and
actions can also be found in production companies, where they use casting as a method to cater
these needs of fans as discussed in the previous section.
As a result of the attraction to the queerness in the musicals, fans engage in repetitive
watching for uniqueness of each live performance, acting details, and strong emotions presented
on stage. Meanwhile, the interests in queerness also promote interactions within fandoms,
between fans and actors or even production companies, including the popular and influential
shipping fandoms of various characters and actors in different musicals.
Censorship on Homosexuality in Chinese Musicals
Due to the state censorship on homosexual content in cultural works, the performance of
Chinese musicals having same-sex relationships has been impacted by the mandatory changes to
the script and acts. Though not having the power to restore the performances, fans are not
passive viewers but hold different attitudes and generate various understandings towards the
adjustments in musicals caused by censorship.
Thrill Me, as a musical clearly indicating the homosexual relationship between two male
characters, experienced two major adjustments in the Chinese productions. Compared with other
popular productions like the ones in off-Broadway and Korea, the Chinese version changes the
kisses between Richard to Nathan to hugs or other less intimate physical contacts from the
premiere in 2016. The second changes in the Chinese version happened during the performances
in late 2022, which led to strong reactions among the fans. According to the Xiaohongshu posts
summarizing the adjustments in lyrics and performances, some words are deleted and adjusted to
weaken the intimacy between the two characters and also to try eliminating content of violence
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and crimes, commented by fans as “a version of Thrill Me that is safer than ever”. The changes
include the deletions of Nathan’s words begging Richard to hug him and some physical contact
as well as motions hinting their sexual activities during the title song “Thrill Me”.
These adjustments are clearly known among the fan community, as fans also learn about
productions of other countries through video clips and information found, subtitled, and spread
by other fans. Some interviewees are not satisfied with such changes due to censorship, “the
relationship between Richard and Nathan is a combination of classmates, sexual partners, and
duo for crime. Not able to show the intimate moves prevents the musical from showing their
complicated relationship and it cuts their identities apart”, said Diana. Daisy also believed that
the love and intimacy between Richard and Nathan is less convincing without these physical
contacts and intimate acts. Though knowing and being critical about the censorship on
homosexuality in the Chinese productions, interviewees as well as other fans accept the
adjustments and consider it a compromise that has to be made. Both Tracy and Taylor mentioned
they did not feel any surprise knowing the Chinese version would experience these changes as
such censorship is widely applied to movies, television, and other media in China. Lara shared
some perspectives she observed in online fan groups, where some fans believe these deletions
and adjustments are necessary sacrifices for a musical about homosexual relationship to be on
stage in China, “it’s better to have musicals of such a theme to watch than not”. Some fans even
strongly support the censorship because intimate acts between actors in the 2016 performances
of Thrill Me were reported to the government agency and led to cancellation of shows. Having
the memories and experiences before, these fans believe the audience and fans should be careful
about discussion of homosexuality and “not be opposed to Chinese Communist Party” by being
too critical about the censorship, since the common goal of fans was having live performances of
30
Thrill Me to watch. Therefore, most fans take an attitude of accepting the changes as a reality in
Chinese society about topics of homosexuality and consider them a way to protect the space for
consuming popular cultural works of such a theme.
Influenced by the censorship and thus unavailability of homosexual presentation, some
fans pay more attention to these acts in the musical out of curiosity. To these fans, certain
movements and lines showing male-male romance and intimacy are more important than the
whole story and performance. Rachel discussed her dissatisfaction with some audiences'
reactions in theaters, like making sounds expressing surprise when the two actors are undressing
and getting very close to each other as the stage gets dark, a scene hinting at sexual intercourse
of Richard and Nathan in Thrill Me. She stated that these reactions are not appropriate for the
story, which is a distraction for her when watching the live performance, though she understood
that this is due to the rare presentations of homosexual acts in Chinese theater. As further
changes are made during the performances in 2022 considering the censorship on content of
homosexuality and violence, it became more difficult for both new fans and old fans to accept
and enjoy the watching experience because the multiple adjustments change the meanings and
blur the focus of the story. Irene provided an example of lyric change in a solo number of
Nathan, where the original words of “everything is for being with him” becomes “everything is
for the pursuit in heart”. The desire of Nathan and the close relationship between Richard and
Nathan is taken away from the line, substituted with words that are vague and even empty. On
the one hand, these changes make old fans very upset since a story they like is violently
modified, though they can use memories from previous performances to complete the story in
their minds. On the other hand, the further changes also bring difficulties for new fans to
understand the story and characters, as some audiences felt confused about the relationship
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between characters without previous watching experience and outside knowledge. Irene shared
that some new fans of the performances in 2022 felt a great pity when knowing what the
performances were like in previous rounds. It is easy to find that many fans are adversely
impacted by the adjustments and changes that are forced by censorship, whether due to the
obstacles to understanding the story or the discontent with the loss they have to accept compared
with previous performances.
Although many fans are negatively influenced by the deletions and adjustments on
physical contacts and intimate acts, some interviewees analyze and feel the story and relationship
from another perspective, arguing that whether there are kiss scenes or not is insignificant in
affecting their watching experience. Several interviewees, including Bailey, mentioned “sexual
tension” as a focus when they watch the live performances and feel the intimacy between the two
characters. According to Bailey, the sexual tension is not directly related to whether the two
actors kiss on stage, but manifested through the emotions and details during performances. “One
detail I like about the Korean production is not that they can kiss on stage, but the reluctance to
part from the other after kiss scenes presented through actor’s movements and facial expressions.
Therefore, hugging is also a good way since actors have the opportunities to show the feeling of
not wanting to leave and part”, explained by Bailey. In addition, some fans like Rachel even
understand the performance not allowing for kisses between males as part of the “East Asian
aesthetics”, which is a term widely used in Chinese Internet to describe the relationship that is
indirect, implicit, dark, and twisted. Not being able to directly express love and desire as well as
the sense of taboo can be even more exciting for some fans. Furthermore, some audiences even
find a new way of watching and understanding the censored Chinese production. To some fans
who watch the musical multiple times, the changes brought by censorship is a task for the acting
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of performers. Actors need to provide new and different details in order to show the similar level
of emotions and feelings without kisses and even less hugs. According to Irene, this is even a
chance for the actors to improve their acting and some performances may be more intriguing
because actors put more attention into details like eye contacts and small acts like touching
fingers. However, the kind of surprise mentioned by Irene is very limited and the censorship
overall is a serious damage for the musical performances. The upset and pity felt by fans is also
experienced by actors, as fans can feel the negative emotions and attitudes of actors on stage
while performing the further censored version. The feelings of both parties and its exchange
make fans feel even more painful, as the sacrifice to keep the musical seems to be overly serious.
To conclude, the deletions and amendments forced by state censorship negatively
influence the watching experience of many fans, including both the new ones who did not have
the opportunity to watch the uncensored version and the old fans who were upset about the
decreasing pleasure. However, some fans can ignore the negative effects caused by the
adjustments or even actively find meanings from them, as the emotions and relationship are
considered more significant by some audiences so the words, acts, and ways of presenting are
not as important. These reactions of fans indicate the possibilities of different interpretations and
the generative nature of censorship on gender and sexuality as fans can always find their
approach to understand and appreciate the male-male relationships in musicals regardless of
deletions and adjustments.
Chinese Musical as a Unique Space for Chinese Boy’s Love (BL)
Building on the experience of being a fan for Thrill Me and other Chinese musicals
featuring BL content, fans believe the Chinese musical industry is a unique and more ideal space
for BL lovers compared with mainstream Chinese BL media like dangai (BL television or web
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series adapted from BL novels). According to some interviewees, Chinese musical fandom itself
has a strong characteristic and tradition of BL due to waves of influence from mainstream media.
Lara analyzed that Chinese musical fandom has a large number of BL fans as many were part of
the fandom of Super Vocal around 2019, the all-male singing competition aiming to promote
opera and musicals that became famous partly due to its shipping fandoms. So Chinese musicals
already had a fan base favoring male-male romance. In addition, the blocking of worldwide
fanfic website Archive of Our Own in China during 227 incident in February 2020 and all the
censorship and crack downs on BL and homosexual content make mainstream entertainment
even a more difficult space for BL fans. Musical industry as a niche market is less censored and
thus attracts some fans to join for the pleasure of BL.
When asked to compare the differences between BL in Chinese musicals and other forms,
interviewees highlight the explicitness of same-sex relationship, the closeness to actors, and the
authenticity of relationship between actors. As mentioned in previous sections, the clear
indication of male homosexual relationship is what makes Thrill Me stand out from other
musicals, and such a topic is even more impossible to appear in popular television or web series.
In addition, interviewees provided various answers about how musical fans feel they are closer to
the actors and their shipping fantasy compared with other media. Because musical fans watch
live performances, fans are able to see actors in person. Additionally, the stage door tradition
allows fans to talk to the actors themselves, making fans like Diana feel the performers are
“close and reachable”. Ivy and Phoebe also mentioned the functions of gossip in facilitating
closeness, that fans can easily know what happened to actors off-stage and even their personal
relationship in reality as such information is very easy to access through friends, who are fellow
fans or even work in the production companies. Therefore, shipper’s understandings and
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fantasies are not pure imaginations, but intertwined with what happened in real life. Moreover,
shippers can easily assert influence on actors due to the relatively small fandom and face-to-face
interactions, “it is impossible for BL fans to just shout out to actors asking them to stand with
each other on stage during curtain calls or asking the actors themselves if they will star the same
musicals in the future”, Bailey provided examples of shippers in musical fandom. Influenced by
the closeness between actors, a sense of authenticity also grew among some BL fans of Chinese
musicals. For example, Ivy discussed how musical actors have much smaller fan groups and are
less profitable compared with cinema or television stars, “so their emotions are more real and
less queerbaiting”. Daisy explains that she as a fan can feel the enthusiasm and sincerity of the
actors through live performances and interactions with them. While Phoebe is not sure if the
emotions and relationships themselves in Chinese musicals are less fake than the ones in dangai
for sure, the observations and interactions in person help create a sense of authenticity, making
her feel what she ships is more real and genuine.
In a word, the fanbase of television programs about musicals that favors male-male
romance and the state crackdowns on dangai fandoms together attract BL fans to Chinese
musicals and make fans feel that uniqueness of this fandom. The exceptional characteristics, or
even advantages, of Chinese musical fandoms include the clear expression of male same-sex
relationship, the opportunities of closely seeing and interacting with actors, and the feeling of
authenticity of relationship between actors.
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Chapter 5: Conclusion and Discussion
To conclude, this study investigates how the queerness in Chinese musicals attracts
female fans and affects their participation modes under the influence of censorship on
homosexuality. From interviews and digital ethnography, it is clear that the theme of male
homosexuality, the story focusing on male-male relationships, the acting of performers
demonstrating strong feelings with slight changes between performances, as well as theatrical
experience of fans facilitated by space arrangement in the theater together contribute to the
attractiveness of queerness. As a result, fans engage in repetitive watching for differences
between performances of different dates, acting details, and strong emotions that can be best
experienced through live performance. Meanwhile, fans’ interests in queerness increase
interactions within fandoms, between fans and actors or even production companies, including
the popular and influential shipping fandoms of various characters and actors in different
musicals. The deletions and amendments forced by censorship negatively affect the experience
of many fans, though some can ignore the negative effects caused by the adjustments or even
actively find meanings from them as the words and acts directly showing intimacy between male
characters or actors are not as important as the emotions and relationships. The reactions and
interpretations of these fans indicate that individuals can always find their approach to
understand and appreciate the male-male relationships in musicals regardless of changes forced
by censorship. These fans feel the lack of physical contact contribute to the complicated
relationship between characters and require the actors to present intimacy between males
adopting more acting methods, which bring more excitement and freshness for devoted fans.
Overall, Chinese musical fans view the fandom as an exceptional space compared with
mainstream BL fandoms in China now for the explicit presentation of male same-sex
36
relationship, the close interactions with actors, and the feeling of authenticity regarding the
relationship between actors. On the one hand, these unique characters are facilitated by the live
performances and face-to-face interactions that theater fans can experience. On the other hand,
the BL musicals provide a clear script for fans to understand and interpret the relationships
between characters and actors compared to other BL fandoms of idol groups. The two aspects
together contribute to the experience of fans in Chinese musical theater and reinforce each other.
There are some significant findings of this research resonating with previous literature
about musical theater, male-male romance, and censorship. As shown through the experience
and feelings of fans, their passion and desire for viewing and feeling romance and intimacy in
the BL musicals are highly associated with the participation modes of musical fandoms. Due to
the nature and traditions of musical theaters, fans can see actors in person during live
performances and interact with them at the stage door, which greatly weakens the sense of
boundaries and reduces the distance between actors and fans (Rush & Lim, 2022). The
experience of closely and repetitively observing the details of BL musicals as well as directly
communicating with actors displaying the male-male romance make musical fandoms more
advantageous compared with other BL fandoms that have a greater distance with actors. The
results of this research highlight the peculiarities of theater fandoms and their significance in
attracting and retaining BL fans. Additionally, musical fans’ reactions to censorship on
homosexual content echo the generative function of censorship and the connotation of male
same-sex relationships (Foucault, 1990; Miller, 1990). The topic of homosexuality or male-male
romance as an important reason for fans going for the live performances shows that banning and
restricting such content does not stop individuals from getting interested in the field. Instead,
fans watch the BL musicals multiple times and get more excited when male actors have physical
37
contact on stage, as such opportunities and presentations are more difficult to find elsewhere.
The queer interpretations for stories and characters that do not clearly suggest the theme or
identities of male homosexuality among Chinese musical fans also display the tendency of
understanding any male-male relationship as gay. This includes understanding the characters and
the genre of musicals as gay, sometimes even applying to actors. With the special case of
Chinese musical fandom, this study echoes findings and theories from previous related research.
This study adds to the field of fandom studies and fills the gaps of theater fandoms left by
previous research in the area. By focusing on Chinese musical fandom, this research digs into the
characteristics and experience about musical theater fandoms, which are less explored compared
with other media fandoms. The exploration of fan practices in Chinese musicals demonstrates the
differences between theater fandoms and slash fandoms, as going to theater multiple times for
performances by different performers looking for specific acting from performers to fulfill the
expectation of queer narrative of the story is very different from reading slash created by fans to
fill in the gap of the story and express the thoughts of fans. More importantly, the study
investigates the complex natures and functions of censorship on homosexuality and male-male
romance in China. On the one hand, the findings of the study show the constraints on the
musicals and negative effects on the watching experience for fans resulting from censorship. On
the other hand, the answers of interviewees also reveal how censorship on homosexual content is
acceptable or even meaningful for their understanding and feelings for the story. One of the
examples is the “East Asian aesthetics” mentioned by some respondents, where the restrictions
on directly and clearly showing intimacy between males instead become an excitement for fans
due to the complicated presentations of relationships and imaginative spaces. These findings
present the complex impacts of censorship on viewers and show certain agency of fans under the
38
structural obstacles for accessing and appreciating male same-sex relationships in cultural
products.
Besides the detailed content presented in the section of findings, there are some fan
experiences with BL musicals that appear in the interviews and are worth further exploration. As
mentioned by previous literature about female audiences and fans of male actors, the female
viewership includes both the desire for male actors and the fantasy with male-male romance,
especially for heterosexual female fans. This also true for many female fans in Chinese musical
fandom, that not only do they repeatedly go to live performances of BL musicals for the
excitement brought by male same-sex relationships, but they also love the show because they are
fans of the actors performing in these shows. This is to say, there is a coexistence of gazing at
male bodies and fantasizing male-male romance in the viewing experience. This is especially
true for fans of Apollonia, as the theater of the show is drastically different from the traditional
stage and allows fans to sit very close to the actors. Although the story of Apollonia centers the
male relationships between three men, the loyal fans who go to the live performances also care
about if they can get the props from their favorite actors in a fixed actor-audience interaction
during the performance. One interviewee Tracy recalled how she tried to buy seats that are the
closest to the stage every time for the interactions and sometimes felt upset by knowing all other
female audience seating in the same area are also fans for the same actor waiting for the same
interaction, though only one audience can get it in one performance. This experience is very
similar to the matinee girls over a hundred years ago in New England and London as well as the
Korean musical fans nowadays studied in previous studies, where the interests and love of
female fans for male actors themselves are key for the box office (Heim, 2016; McWilliam,
2023; Rush & Lim, 2022). Phoebe also explained the various aspects of Apollonia that attracted
39
her in different stages. Though she started to repetitively watch the show and even went to tours
for the male-male relationship presented in one performance and she spent great efforts in
finding the same kind of acting, her interests switched to a particular actor during the process.
Essentially, she admitted that such musicals of BL themes can serve two functions for female
fans. The coexistence of love for male actors and male-male romance presented through them
may also explain why musical productions highlighting female same-sex relationships are not as
successful. The attraction of just queerness might not be enough for attracting and retaining the
female fans, a majority of whom are heterosexual young women, having more interests in male
actors and putting more efforts as fans for male actors compared with for female actors. Further
investigation and comparisons may better explain the phenomenon observed here.
In addition, the influence of censorship on homosexual content in musicals can be
elaborated by further closely studying the content and aspects that are censored and those are or
cannot. This study focuses on the words and motions in acting that are deleted or adjusted to
weaken the feelings and intimacy in male-male romance. Although censorship greatly influences
the story presented to the audience and the watching experience of fans, the changes cannot take
away the knowledge of foreign productions and memory of performances before further
censorship. Fans can make use of the knowledge and memory to imagine and reproduce those
lines and movements in their mind, which becomes one aspect that censorship fails to erase.
Another aspect that it is difficult for censorship to affect, which is particular to musicals, is the
music. Although words and lyrics are adjusted, the melody and emotions expressed from it stay.
Future research on musicals or any forms of music and censorship may further explore in this
direction.
40
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Zhang, Shiyi
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Core Title
Boy's Love in musicals: queerness and fandom in Chinese musicals
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Master of Arts
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East Asian Area Studies
Degree Conferral Date
2024-08
Publication Date
07/12/2024
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