Should humanity perish or exist?
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Jeon Byung-wook, left, and Stephanie perform in Bernard Werber’s play “Nos amis les humains” which will run at the Seoul Arts Center through March 5, 2017. / Courtesy of Group 8
Bernard Werber's philosophical play back on Seoul stage
By Yun Suh-young
Popular French novelist Bernard Werber's novel "Nos amis les humains" (2004) or "Our Friends, the Humans" in English, which he turned into a play is running for the second time in Seoul since its premiere in 2010.
The play will be performed at the Seoul Arts Center through March 5, 2017. It is one of the two plays that Werber has written including "Bienvenue au paradis" (2011). This second staging of the play in Seoul is directed by Moon Sam-hwa and produced by Group 8, initially known for producing TV dramas. It is the group's first theater production.
The story of "Nos amis les humains" centers on two humans — scientist Raoul and animal trainer Samantha — who are trapped in a glass room not knowing why and how they ended up in the location. The two characters who lead the play explore their reasons for existence, human nature and whether or not humanity should continue to exist or perish.
They realize they are the only two human beings alive in the universe after seeing a video of the rest of humanity being extinguished due to a nuclear bomb fired off by a dictator during a conflict in Kashmir. They believe they were taken off from the earth at the last minute to be guinea pigs for aliens.
The two then hold an imaginary trial in the confined space on whether they should continue humanity by reproduction or let humanity perish by not doing so and die as the last human beings.
The argument centers around whether humanity is good or evil. Rationalist Raoul argues that humanity should perish because it is evil in nature, seen from the examples of violence and invasion in human history and of conflict over cooperation between humans. "There is more fight than love," he says, adding it is in the nature of humans to compete and have conflicts.
Samantha, the hot-tempered yet passionate human being, argues that humanity should be given another chance as it has been polluted by a few evil dictators. "Humans have the ability to take care of others and be considerate. It can think and it is the only animal in the universe that knows how to love, not just reproductively," she says. "We know how to question and to repent our wrongdoings. Humans should be given an acquittal."
This fierce debate that escalates between the two characters in the middle of the play is the highlight of the piece.
It is also this trial scene that was most difficult for the director to recreate.
"The novel has much more lengthy dialogues which is typical of the French debating culture. We had to cut them out because they were too long and also because they didn't fit with Korean culture," said Moon, during a press conference after the press preview, Thursday.
"It's still the scene I focused on the most because it's the most important scene in the play. It carries the key message of what humans are and how helpless they can be."
The piece inspires people to reflect on themselves, said actress Kim Na-mi, who plays Samantha.
"I think the play led me to reflect on myself and on humans. It still tells the story that humans are worth saving," she said.
The cast is divided into four pairs — four male actors and three female actors_ acting with one another interchangeably — they are Oh Yong, Jeon Byung-wook, Park Gwang-hyun and Ko Myung-hwan, and Kim Na-mi, Ahn Yoo-jin and Stephanie. This is Park Gwang-hyun and singer Stephanie's first play. Veteran dramatic actors Oh Yong and Jeon Byung-wook and actress Kim Na-mi lead smoothly.
Ticket prices are 34,000 won for non-designated seats and 49,000 won for designated seats. For more information, visit www.sacticket.co.kr.