{"id":509,"date":"2016-06-08T15:21:24","date_gmt":"2016-06-08T15:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/13\/?p=509"},"modified":"2023-06-03T08:30:09","modified_gmt":"2023-06-03T08:30:09","slug":"a-sinewy-directorial-reading-wins-the-winters-tale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/13\/a-sinewy-directorial-reading-wins-the-winters-tale\/","title":{"rendered":"A Sinewy Directorial Reading Wins: The Winter\u2019s Tale"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soon-ja Hur<\/strong>*<\/a><\/p>\n

The Winter\u2019s Tale <\/em>has rarely been produced in Korea,[1]<\/sup><\/a> and, until recently, had never been staged in its entirety. This is somewhat strange in a country where Shakespeare is consistently one of the most popular playwrights and whose plays have so eagerly and frequently been performed on stage since the mid-twentieth century. One possible reason for the absence of The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em> here may, in part, be due to the Korean audiences\u2019 exceptional zeal and steadfast appreciation for Shakespeare\u2019s mature and more celebrated plays, which has left theatre companies less inclined to introduce the relatively unknown, if not necessarily inferior, works in the canon. The peculiar characteristics of romance, once condemned as the \u201cmongrel tragic-comedy,\u201d also come into play here, especially when reality is crossed with fantasy over such a large gamut of time and space. This structural looseness makes it difficult for many theatre companies to stage this play. However, the National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK) challenged this longstanding convention and ventured to produce The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em> by inviting Hungarian director R\u00f3bert Alf\u00f6ldi to stage it at the Dalorum Theatre, Seoul between January 10 and 24, 2016. It was presented as part of the NTCK\u2019s international collaboration series, under the leadership of the current artistic director Yun-Cheol Kim.[2]<\/sup><\/a> The production\u00a0 was the production on the Korean stage to commemorate the 400th<\/sup> anniversary of Shakespeare\u2019s death. It achieved a rare success, winning the hearts of the audiences and receiving critical acclaim.<\/p>\n

The production of The Winter\u2019s Tale <\/em>was in line with the thematic concept of the NTCK\u2019s 2016 season, entitled \u201cThe Challenge.\u201d However, its selection may also have been influenced by Alf\u00f6ldi\u2019s reputed talent for bold stagings, in defiance of the conventional interpretations. Perhaps, director Kim saw this as a good way of promoting a long neglected play on the Korean stage. For Alf\u00f6ldi, this must have been a welcome opportunity to have his first directing experience in Asia. After all, he took up the challenge well aware of the idiosyncratic qualities, of a play which, back in the 18th<\/sup> century, Dr. Samuel Johnson referred to as, \u201cWith all its absurdities, very entertaining.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em> (2016) \u00a9NTOK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As he customarily does, Alf\u00f6ldi wrote his own version of The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em> (translation by Alexandra Eszter Urban and embellishment by Kyunghoo Lee). He trimmed Shakespeare\u2019s original text with judicious excisions of some superfluous scenes and dispensable lines in order to make it a compact, two-hour performance, while keeping its essential form and content intact. With respect to the diptych structure of the play, split by the personified Time (here the dead soul of young prince Mamilius returning as the winged Angel), Alf\u00f6ldi set a fast-pace. The first part unfolded in the Sicilian court, which was set against a stark, minimalist background made of a tall, shiny latticed wall with multiple openings (designed by Dongwoo Park). In stark contrast, the more festive and slower paced second part transformed the rustic, Bohemian world of the shepherds by placing it in a contemporary graffiti-filled underground subway. This theatrical landscape of subtle nuances, visual metaphors and modern sensibilities stimulated the audiences\u2019 interest in the play. Throughout the show, the leitmotifs of the violin music (by Lajk\u00f3 F\u00e9lix and his band) accentuated the action appropriately, creating rhythmic variances in combination with the delicately schematic lighting (designed by Changki Kim).<\/p>\n

\"The
The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em> (2016) \u00a9NTOK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alf\u00f6ldi\u2019s visual comments, made by means of dynamic use of props and sets, were also quite eloquent. There were two very impressive moments. The first occurred when Leontes\u2019 sudden jealousy is provoked and, simultaneously, a white rectangular table in the center of the stage begins to silently turn, reflecting the psychology of the character’s reaction. The second occurred in the final statue scene, in which Hermione is brought in standing in an aquarium. Leontes is overwhelmed by emotion and suddenly shatters the glass with a hammer, causing two-tons of water to burst out shockingly and overflow the stage. It was truly a coup de th\u00e9\u00e2tre<\/em>, dramatically signaling Hermione\u2019s resurrection, as if she were emerging from the water breaking in the womb just before her rebirth.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em> (2016) \u00a9NTOK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alf\u00f6ldi emphasized in an interview that he intended the show to be one the audience could enjoy and appreciate. This comes from his belief in Shakespeare\u2019s own practice of writing plays with both popular appeal and literary merit. Perhaps, this idea was taken a bit too far, however, in the extended, show-stealing scene in which the singing rogue Autolycus jumped into the aisles and begged for money from the audience. Other than this minor distraction, Alf\u00f6ldi\u2019s sinewy directorial reading of The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em> is straightforward and focused tightly on the textual implications. Contrary to any expectations stemming from his well-known iconoclastic tendencies, he disregards completely intrusions of contemporary socio-political contexts. Instead, he focuses on the resilience of human nature as the prime thematic concern of this romance, suggesting that all struggles can be finally redeemed through the basic human emotions of love and forgiveness. Thus, despite the rashness of Leontes\u2019 jealous behavior, which results in multiple disasters, far-reaching human virtues overcome his shortcomings to bring about a final reconciliation. There is, however, one little twist at the end. Alf\u00f6ldi freezes the final moment, leaving the actors on stage, sheltered from the thunder and pouring rain and calling on the audience to reflect again on the meaning of everything.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em> (2016) \u00a9NTOK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finally, it was the acting that completed and distinguished this production, making it truly enjoyable. A majority of Alf\u00f6ldi\u2019s actors were young and less experienced in Shakespearean acting, including the lead couples. He prefers actors who can change and be flexible on stage. From this open criterion, audiences were able to discover a number of new and hidden talents including Sangkyu Son\u2019s electrifying performance of Leontes (whom he played with great breadth, from the human embodiment of paranoia to\u00a0 guilt-ridden loser) and Jungwon Woo\u2019s depiction of the tortured, but still graceful, queen Hermione. The remainder of the ensemble played a dynamic role in multiple scenes, contributing greatly in convincing the audience of the necessity of bringing The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em> to the Korean stage.<\/p>\n

Thanks to Garett Marshall for initial editing.<\/p>\n

Endnotes<\/h6>\n

<\/a>[1] The author refers here to the Republic of Korea, otherwise known as South Korea.
\n<\/a>[2] Yun-Cheol Kim was the founder of this webjournal during his period as president of the International Association of Theatre Critics (2006-14).<\/p>\n

\n

\"Soon-ja<\/p>\n

<\/a>*Theatre critic and professor of Seoul Institute of the Arts, Hur, Soon-ja<\/strong> previously served as the President of the KATC and President of the Korean-Japan Theatre Exchange Council. She is currently on a number of theatre committees as an advisor, board member, and judge.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9<\/strong> 2016 Hur, Soon-ja
\nCritical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em> e-ISSN: 2409-7411<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This work is licensed under the
\nCreative Commons Attribution International License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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