From "Hakuna Matata" to "Hasa Diga EEbowai": Paradoxical Bliss in The Book of Mormon
Norman Cahn
Abstract
With an onslaught of grisly stories pouring in from the news media, it is reassuring (and quite easy) to assign blame to movies, film, and theatre with “violent” content. Indeed, for patrons of the The Book of Mormon, it might seem alarming that numbers like “Hasa Diga Eebowai,” with such repugnant lyrical content, could earn the sweeping approval of audiences that it has. Surprisingly, The Lion King’s “Hakuna Matata” sheds light on the “Hasa Diga Eebowai” paradox. In this paper, I analyze the audiovisual elements of both songs—in particular, the participatory features that create an inclusive, familial environment. The Book of Mormon’s piece utilizes this buoyant, “no worries” façade to provide comforting nostalgia for the Disney classic. Juxtaposed against this upbeat tone, “Hasa Diga Eebowai’s” distasteful lyrics effectively augment the artificiality of the spectacle. Distanced from the events on stage, any congruence of lyrics, music, or meaning is severed, thus allowing attendees to critically engage with the disparate musical-theatre-components at play. Applying Roland Barthes’ ideas regarding a text of “bliss,” audiences assemble this plurality of meaning, causing a state of pleasure.
With an onslaught of grisly stories pouring in from the news media, it is reassuring (and quite easy) to assign blame to movies, film, and theatre with “violent” content. Indeed, for patrons of the The Book of Mormon, it might seem alarming that numbers like “Hasa Diga Eebowai,” with such repugnant lyrical content, could earn the sweeping approval of audiences that it has. Surprisingly, The Lion King’s “Hakuna Matata” sheds light on the “Hasa Diga Eebowai” paradox. In this paper, I analyze the audiovisual elements of both songs—in particular, the participatory features that create an inclusive, familial environment. The Book of Mormon’s piece utilizes this buoyant, “no worries” façade to provide comforting nostalgia for the Disney classic. Juxtaposed against this upbeat tone, “Hasa Diga Eebowai’s” distasteful lyrics effectively augment the artificiality of the spectacle. Distanced from the events on stage, any congruence of lyrics, music, or meaning is severed, thus allowing attendees to critically engage with the disparate musical-theatre-components at play. Applying Roland Barthes’ ideas regarding a text of “bliss,” audiences assemble this plurality of meaning, causing a state of pleasure.
| etudesdec2016cahn.pdf |
