By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
You might remember the sad heartbreaking vocals of Quasimodo, who rang the ``soul bell'' of audiences in the Korean rendition of the French musical ``Notre Dame de Paris.''
Yoon Hyeong-ryeol, 25, who took the role of Quasimodo ― a pure-souled hunchback bell ringer of the cathedral, now takes off his heavy make-up and ugly hunchback costume to stand upright as a Danish prince in ``Hamlet.'' The rock opera will go on stage on Aug. 21.
``I am very happy to take this role because Hamlet is the most coveted role for actors,'' Yoon said in an interview with The Korea Times.
Rarely do rookie performers land a leading role so soon after a debut piece.
``From a hunchback bell ringer to a prince … It was a steep status ascension for me,'' he jokingly said. But he said, ``Without the role of Quasimodo, there is no Hamlet for me.''
Yoon said that he devoted himself to the role of Quasimodo for more than one year. ``It was physically tough because I had to stoop down all the time while wearing heavy make-up on my hair and face and heavy hunchback costumes,'' he said.
He said that he finds himself still walking and talking like the hunchback. ``As I had no experience as a musical actor before, I absorbed everything the creative teams and other senior actors directed,'' he said.
Director Wang Yong-beom of ``Hamlet'' offered him an audition for the role because the director thought he was good at expressing ``stronger and manly Hamlet'' after watching his acting on Quasimodo.
Yoon said he was mesmerized with the character who was weak and indecisive at the beginning and then later turns mad because of anger for revenge. ``I want to describe him as strong outwardly but vulnerable inside to differentiate with other Hamlets,'' he said.
Hamlet has been depicted as a vulnerable character burning with anger having seen his Uncle Claudius usurp the throne.
The all-time classic by Shakespeare is based on a Danish legend revolving around the question over why Prince Hamlet, the main character, waited so long to exact revenge on Claudius, his stepfather, for his father's death.
For the musical, four main actors _ Park Gun-hyung, Im Tae-kyung, Lee Ji-hoon and Yoon _ will alternate playing Hamlet. ``Three others are experienced and veteran actors. I am the beginner. So I will have to practice more and want to compete with other Hamlets with my performance itself on stage,'' he said.
Yoon is known for his distinctive interpretation for the role in his previous work. ``I thought a lot about the role of Quasimodo when I was first offered the audition. If I were the same with Quasimodo played by Kim Bup-rae (who alternated the role with Yoon), I thought there was no meaning for my existence. So I analyzed the character to give my own perspective,'' he said.
He successfully portrayed the miserable bell ringer as a tender-hearted and hurt character with ``doleful energy'' to draw sympathy from the audience.
However, he said that acting a hunchback was rather easier than acting Hamlet. ``There were fixed poses _ bending down or hobbling _ I could take when I was playing the hunchback. But Hamlet is a totally challenging one with a tortured soul. So I have to sing differently and stand differently,'' said Yoon.
But he said that he is enjoying the challenge while getting out of the image and habit of Quasimodo. Yoon said that unlike other works, Hamlet in the musical should lead to other characters, showing the character change from weak and indecisiveness to madness.
Asked about whether his baritone vocals would be suitable for the rock opera, he said that he is trying to raise his vocal pitch but has no worry because he originally pursued rock music.
Yoon's recent success is not an overnight sensation. He debuted as a singer in 2006 but it was a great flop for him.
``I really dreamed of becoming a singer. But after releasing my album, I couldn't promote my songs even on a radio program or TV program because of the lack of finance of my agency. Nobody knows my song. I experienced all kinds of difficulties during that period,'' he said.
But that painful experience ironically has helped him, he said. ``Even though I haven't lived that long, I went through all kinds of hardships while pursuing a career as a musician. But after all, the hardships became the assets of my acting career,'' he said.
``I am still wishing for my next album around next year if I am ready. But for the time being, I will concentrate on the musicals,'' he said.
The musical ``Hamlet'' premiered in Prague, the Czech Republic in 1999 and has been staged over 600 times and seen by around 10 million people. Its Korean rendition went on stage for the first time last year.
The musical has been upgraded, with more solo songs for Hamlet to focus more on his internal struggles and tortured mind.
The musical will open at Theater S at Sookmyung Art Center in Seoul on Aug. 21 and continue on an open run.
Tickets cost from 44,000 won to 77,000 won. For more information, call (02) 715-6358.