Abstract

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Carousel is sometimes called “the wife-beater musical” (Winer, 2018). It tells the story of Julie, a battered woman who never leaves her abuser. The controversy lies in an exchange between Julie and her daughter Louise; Julie seems to tell Louise that abuse can sometimes be considered a form of love. This controversial exchange is often cut from productions, including the 2018 Broadway revival. This research suggests that there is another way to view Carousel that not only offers a different interpretation of this dialogue, but also shows its necessity to the show and the characters. Beginning with a thorough examination of the source material, this research analyzes the two protagonists, Julie and Billy, and their relationships with their daughter Louise through a lens of domestic abuse. This project explores ethnographic research about domestic abuse survivors and applies these themes of victim blaming and the cyclical nature of domestic abuse to an analysis of the relationship between Julie, Billy, and their daughter Louise. By using this frame to analyze the script and score of this production, we can see that Carousel is an important work for understanding domestic violence. By retaining this controversial but important scene, Carousel sheds light on the issues of understanding and healing that should not be erased.