Greek tragedy reborn with pansori

Recent studies show oral diseases can affect the health of not only the mouth but also the whole body. It is also known that a bacterium, Streptococcus gordonii, can cause blood clots and trigger life-threatening endocarditis, or inflammation of the heart. / Courtesy of NTOK

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The ancient tale of the Trojan horse and the love between Paris and Helen during the Trojan War is well-known through many literary sources, but what happened to the people of Troy after their defeat is relatively unknown.

The National Changgeuk Company of Korea (NCCK), which has been experimenting with various ways to contemporize changgeuk (traditional Korean opera), tells the tale of the women of Troy while exploring the essence of pansori (traditional Korean narrative music), which is a musical form of changgeuk.

From left, Helen (played by Kim Jun-su), Hecuba (Kim Geum-mi), Andromache (Kim Ji-sook) and Cassandra (Lee So-yeon)

"The Trojan Women," originally written by Greek playwright Euripides, is a tragedy that centers on the fates of the women of Troy after their city has fallen. It takes on a new garb by the NCCK.

Co-developed by the NTOK and the Singapore Arts Festival, Singaporean director Ong Keng Sen took the helm of the production. Human Cultural Asset Ahn Sook-sun composed the pansori and musician Jung Jae-il composed other parts on the script written by Korean playwright Bae Sam-sik.

The changgeuk version of “The Trojan Women” is minimal, dynamic yet contemporary. The NCCK adapted another Greek tragedy "Medea" in 2013, but “The Trojan Women” takes a step closer to the origins of pansori, rather than combining Western elements.

Kim Ji-sook plays Andromache.

Director Ong had seen pansori about two decades ago when he first visited Korea in the 1990s. "I saw Ahn Sook-sun performing Chunhyang-ga and I knew I'll direct changgeuk one day," Ong said.

The director took inspiration from how pansori is performed by a storyteller accompanied by a musician and tried to return to the original form.

"As a theater maker from the contemporary field, I am fascinated by and engaged to traditions. There's something pure in pansori and changgeuk and this is our journey of bringing together pure changgeuk by scrapping many layers of paint to find the original shape."

Ong matched each solo singer with an instrument, while an ensemble accompanies the chorus. Hecuba, the Queen of Troy, is matched with geomungo (six-string zither). The director said Hecuba, who is on stage for the whole play, conveys the strongest emotion - she reveals her private side as a mother and grandmother, but also is a public figure as a queen for a kingdom where the king and princes are all dead.

Helen, played by Kim Jun-su, in the arms of her husband Menelaus (Choi Ho-sung)

Cassandra, Hecuba's eldest daughter, accompanied with daegeum (bamboo flute) represents the passion of a virgin who is destined to be sent away. Widowed princess Andromache who is married to Hecuba's son Hector is matched with ajaeng (seven-stringed bowed zither), which effectively expresses her grief as a mother who is forced to give up her child.

Director Ong interpreted Helen as a person in-between. "It's a complex position, almost like a third sex - neither man nor woman. She stands between Greece and Troy," he explained. "Helen is not accepted by both sides. It was a challenge to think of who can be this character and I found the right actor who can play this role in the NCCK, who has to fight to insist her dignity and purity."The most impressive combination is Helen, performed by male singer Kim Jun-su, and the piano, played by composer Jung who doubles as the Trojan prince Paris.

In the first and last scene, “Soul of Souls,” alternated by the master singer Ahn and NCCK member Yu Taepyungyang, mourns the Trojan women.

Musician Jung Jae-il plays the piano on stage as the Trojan prince Paris.

"These are all very passionate women and this play belongs to women. It is about women victimized by war and surviving the war," Ong said. "It is an important production here in Korea as it has a history of women in war."

The set is simple with a white pavilion-like structure with big windows in the center. It is Ong's interpretation of the point of departure in a contemporary way. In the past, the women were transported by ship, but in this production, it is more like an airport, where most travelers today leave a country and arrive in another.

After the Korean run, the changgeuk will travel to Singapore next summer to take part in the Singapore Arts Festival.

“The Trojan Women” runs until Nov. 20. The changgeuk is performed in Korean with English subtitles. Tickets cost from 20,000 to 50,000 won. For more information, visit ntok.go.kr or call 02-2280-4114.