[PLAY REVIEW] The mysteries behind hangeul
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There is still much speculation about the truth surrounding the creation of hanguel, the Korean alphabet. For example, while King Sejong is generally known as the creator of hangeul, views vary on how much some of the king's team of scholars who helped him draw up the writing system were actually opposed to the project.
With this as background, "Who killed the king's scholars", playing at Chongdong Theater, is an intriguing drama that imagines events that led to the creation of hangeul by King Sejong and his struggle against opposition from the conservatives.
The tale itself is heavy and serious, but a modern touch --phantasmal dance moves and groovy background music -- make the play a speedy one that grips the audience's attention throughout the two-hour run.
"Who killed the king`s scholars"
The play by Indi Theater is an adaptation from the book "Deep Rooted Tree" by Lee Jung-myung, whose other novel has been dramatized into the popular TV drama "Painter of the Wind". The thriller play evolves around a mystery that surrounds serial murders of scholars who were working on creating hangeul, seven days before the letters were promulgated.
The relatively long play time without an intermission, however, speeds by as the scenes are seamlessly interwoven.
It is also interesting to watch the props and even the actors being "recycled", such as when a sliding door is used as a map by shining flashlights through it from behind. Each of the 11 actors is responsible for two or three multiple roles, some of them quite noticeably.
While the novel itself put more emphasis on the principles that went behind making hangeul, the play delves more into the confrontation between conservatives and liberals.
As the play reaches its climax -- which is tense enough to make one sit up and sweat -- the audience receives the main motive of the play.
King Sejong is depicted as a young leader who has been earning a reputation for reform and change for two decades, and one quite without the power and authority that one assumed he must have had.
During dialogues with Chinese diplomats, King Sejong is left with only a few words of protest, showing the country's weakness that almost hindered the promulgation of hangeul. He even gets caught up in a sword fight against an assassin.
While the scale of the play is small, the production succeeds in bestowing a sense of pride and gratitude toward the end as the truth is revealed behind the murders and how hangeul was created.
It reminds people to appreciate a language that is taken for granted on a daily basis.
The lead role in the play is not King Sejong, but Kang Chae-yoon, a young guard of the king. Kang is ordered to dig into the murders of the scholars belonging to Jiphyeonjeon.
Jiphyeojeon was set up by King Sejong in 1420, consisting of scholars selected by the King himself devoted to various academic projects including the Hunmin Jeongeum, a first formulation of hangeul.
Kang, who is described as a curious man with a strong sense of justice, follows the leads that are intentionally left at the murder sites.
To express Kang's conscience and also help narrate the swift play, a clown is added to the cast.
King Sejong, played by rocker-turned-actor Yoo Sang-jae is portrayed as an artistic inventor like Leonardo Da Vinci at times and even a revolutionary like Che Guevara.
At one point, King Sejong displays his thought process on stage, carried out flawlessly by actor Yoo.
Park Seung-geol is the playwright and director of the play. Park is well-known for his unexpected success of his adaptation of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 2001.
"It was not easy transforming such a colossal scale of the novel onto the stage. But the work itself was interesting in overcoming the limits by using the creativity only possible in theater", Park said.
The play also succeeds in delivering some laughs mainly through Kang Chae-yoon's supervisor Jeong Byeol-gam, whose cowardliness fails to match his ambition.
The play runs through Nov. 23. For information or tickets, call (02) 704-9566.
By Lee Joo-hee
With this as background, "Who killed the king's scholars", playing at Chongdong Theater, is an intriguing drama that imagines events that led to the creation of hangeul by King Sejong and his struggle against opposition from the conservatives.
The tale itself is heavy and serious, but a modern touch --phantasmal dance moves and groovy background music -- make the play a speedy one that grips the audience's attention throughout the two-hour run.
"Who killed the king`s scholars"
The play by Indi Theater is an adaptation from the book "Deep Rooted Tree" by Lee Jung-myung, whose other novel has been dramatized into the popular TV drama "Painter of the Wind". The thriller play evolves around a mystery that surrounds serial murders of scholars who were working on creating hangeul, seven days before the letters were promulgated.
The relatively long play time without an intermission, however, speeds by as the scenes are seamlessly interwoven.
It is also interesting to watch the props and even the actors being "recycled", such as when a sliding door is used as a map by shining flashlights through it from behind. Each of the 11 actors is responsible for two or three multiple roles, some of them quite noticeably.
While the novel itself put more emphasis on the principles that went behind making hangeul, the play delves more into the confrontation between conservatives and liberals.
As the play reaches its climax -- which is tense enough to make one sit up and sweat -- the audience receives the main motive of the play.
King Sejong is depicted as a young leader who has been earning a reputation for reform and change for two decades, and one quite without the power and authority that one assumed he must have had.
During dialogues with Chinese diplomats, King Sejong is left with only a few words of protest, showing the country's weakness that almost hindered the promulgation of hangeul. He even gets caught up in a sword fight against an assassin.
While the scale of the play is small, the production succeeds in bestowing a sense of pride and gratitude toward the end as the truth is revealed behind the murders and how hangeul was created.
It reminds people to appreciate a language that is taken for granted on a daily basis.
The lead role in the play is not King Sejong, but Kang Chae-yoon, a young guard of the king. Kang is ordered to dig into the murders of the scholars belonging to Jiphyeonjeon.
Jiphyeojeon was set up by King Sejong in 1420, consisting of scholars selected by the King himself devoted to various academic projects including the Hunmin Jeongeum, a first formulation of hangeul.
Kang, who is described as a curious man with a strong sense of justice, follows the leads that are intentionally left at the murder sites.
To express Kang's conscience and also help narrate the swift play, a clown is added to the cast.
King Sejong, played by rocker-turned-actor Yoo Sang-jae is portrayed as an artistic inventor like Leonardo Da Vinci at times and even a revolutionary like Che Guevara.
At one point, King Sejong displays his thought process on stage, carried out flawlessly by actor Yoo.
Park Seung-geol is the playwright and director of the play. Park is well-known for his unexpected success of his adaptation of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 2001.
"It was not easy transforming such a colossal scale of the novel onto the stage. But the work itself was interesting in overcoming the limits by using the creativity only possible in theater", Park said.
The play also succeeds in delivering some laughs mainly through Kang Chae-yoon's supervisor Jeong Byeol-gam, whose cowardliness fails to match his ambition.
The play runs through Nov. 23. For information or tickets, call (02) 704-9566.
By Lee Joo-hee
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