This paper explores how Terayama in his La Marie-vison (1967) attempts to go beyond sexual bipolarization. Terayama's own creation can be better understood by comparing La Marie-vison with its hypotext: Arthur Kopit's play Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad (1962). Terayama transforms the macho Madame Rosepettle in Kopit's absurd play into Marie, a homosexual cross-dressing man who plays the role of the “mother” of a boy named Kinya. The plot of the play is so vague that any singular understanding or interpretation would not be possible. Although several binary oppositions exist, their borders are always dissolved and Marie becomes the symbol of noncommittal values. Even Marie's “motherhood” to Kinya is not clear. Kinya on his side, too, throws away all the butterfly specimens he had collected over time, thus symbolically rejecting any categorization. He tries to explore the true meaning of the word mother: a radical quest to grope for relations. In addition, the play has adapted famous lines from Snow White. Traditionally, the mirror's voice is interpreted as that of the father's, but in this play, it is Marie's voice that declares that Kinya will be the most beautiful “woman” in the world. Thus, depicting queer representations in a thorough manner, Terayama protests against not only established sexual models, but also the paternal masterplot.
