The first introduction of ‘Chamak’ has plenty of attractions… Hedwig 3 confirms ‘hidden track’

Musical ‘Hedwig’ 14th season opens
Jo Jung-seok returns to the stage after 8 years
Yoo Yeon-seok, Jeon Dong-seok and 3 people with 3 different charms

The 14th season of the long-selling musical ‘Hedwig’, which premiered in Korea in 2005, opened at the Charlotte Theater in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 22nd of last month. We pointed out points to watch in order to get a closer look at ‘Hedwig’, a transgender rocker who was scarred by not being understood or loved for who she is.

This year’s performance boasts even richer attractions by introducing a large ‘Shamak’ (translucent screen) for the first time. In the work’s representative number, ‘The Origin of Love’, a fairytale-like picture, as if drawn with oil pastel, is overlapped with Shamak on a light-emitting diode (LED) panel where Hedwig’s subtle facial expressions are relayed, visualizing the multi-layered emotions crossing the past and present. It shows. Director Son Ji-eun said, “In last season, we focused on Hedwig talking about her past, but in this season, we wanted to emphasize what that past means to Hedwig.”

The performance follows Hedwig’s story and consists of numbers that fully embody the charm of rock music. In 1988, Berlin, East Germany, Hedwig endures an unfortunate childhood by listening to music, but meets an American soldier who offers her marriage on the condition of changing her gender, and goes to Kansas, USA. However, after being abandoned and singing in bars in the outskirts, he ended up holding a concert in New York. Music director Jun Lee explained, “All three cities are places where punk rock and glam rock flourished and developed, and are also related to numbers,” adding, “‘Angry Inch’ and ‘Exquisite Corpse’ are representative punk rock numbers.”

Another point to watch is discovering musical elements hidden in stage props and dialogue. In the scene where young Hedwig listens to the radio in the kitchen, pictures of rock stars that the protagonist admires, including David Bowie, can be seen plastered inside the oven. Musicians, including the British rock band Led Zeppelin, are also used wittily in their dialogue. Hedwig’s words, “He had a face as if Led Zeppelin’s zeppelin had exploded,” are even more humorous when you know them.

The role of Hedwig, the main character with a sticky voice and captivating eyes, will be played by Jo Jung-seok, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Jeon Dong-seok in turns this season. Jo Jung-seok, who first appeared on the Hedwig stage in 2006, will appear again for the first time in eight years since 2016. How are the charms of the three-person, three-color cast different? Director Lee said, “Jo Jung-seok is particularly good at ‘Wig in a Box’, which has great emotional movement, Yoo Yeon-seok is particularly good at ‘Sugar Daddy’, which is bouncy, and Jeon Dong-seok is particularly good at ‘The Origin of Love’, which is characterized by narrative expressions, all in his own unique way.” “I will digest it,” he said.

Between number 11 songs, Hedwig sings ‘hidden tracks’ other than the official numbers, delighting the audience’s ears. The songs are different for each actor. In Jo Jung-seok’s case, ‘Walk on the wild side’ by Lou Reed, an American rock star who was Hedwig’s childhood idol, and Lenka’s ‘The show’, which contains lyrics that seem to be a confession of his life. ‘ Sing, etc. Director Son said, “As this is a work that requires detailed character analysis, the actor discovers his own charms that he did not even know about.”

Until June 23rd, 80,000-150,000 won.

Reporter Lee Ji-yoon leemail@donga.com