Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
'Bernarda Alba' captures women's struggle for freedom
A scene from musical "Bernarda Alba" at Jeongdong Theater in central Seoul / Courtesy of Jeongdong Theater
By Kwon Mee-yoo
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The musical "Bernarda Alba" is a rare phenomenon in Korean theater. The 10-woman show, which revolves around a domineering mother and her five daughters in an Andalusian household in Spain, is a hot ticket despite the pandemic.
The Michael John LaChiusa musical is based on Spanish writer Federico Garcia Lorca's 1936 play "The House of Bernarda Alba."
LaChiusa incorporated elements from indigenous Spanish folk songs and rhythm and percussion coming from hand-clapping and foot-stomping. Combined with flamenco-influenced choreography, the musical eloquently tells of the struggle between freedom and oppression within the house of Bernarda Alba and women's rights, which has advanced yet stays the same in some ways.
The musical is set some 90 years ago in a faraway country, but the themes of violence and people resisting brutality are still relevant in modern-day Korea.
The musical premiered in Korea back in 2018 at Wooran Foundation's Art Scape 2 and enjoyed a short but sold-out run, capturing four trophies at the Korea Musical Awards. However, it took years and the determination of actress Jeong Young-ju, who plays the titular role, to step up as producer for the musical to return to the Korean stage again.
Jeong Young-ju as Bernarda Alba in a scene from the musical "Bernarda Alba" at Jeongdong Theater / Courtesy of Jeongdong Theater
Jeong, who won the Best Actress award for her portrayal of the domineering mother, said she faced a huge challenge.
"It was a reckless decision to start producing since I was an actress. I tried to maintain an objective perspective, recognizing the difference between the eye of an actress and a producer," Jeong said.
The musical begins with an introduction to the household, and Bernarda's five daughters. Her second husband Antonio had just passed away prior to the start of the musical. Bernarda inherited the house as well as authority which she uses to oppress her daughters. During the mourning period she shuts all doors and windows of the house so “not a breath of air will get in.”
Despite dressed all in black, each daughter shows individuality, especially through LaChiusa's music. The eldest daughter, Angustias, longs to escape from the house by marrying Pepe, while the second-eldest Magdalena remains lethargic. Third daughter Amelia is too shy to talk to boys; the fourth Martirio is afraid of men and suffers from a sense of inferiority and lack of confidence in her appearance; and the fifth Adela is passionate and daring.
Angustias, who is richer than her half-sisters as she inherited her father's fortune, is engaged to young, handsome Pepe who also lives in the town. Two other sisters ― Martirio and Adela ― also have a crush on him, driving the suppressed family into an unexpected turn.
The sexual frustration prevalent among the stifled daughters is juxtaposed with the family's mare and stallion, portrayed through flamenco dance, which leads to a climax where the youngest rebels against the tyranny of her mother.
Oh So-yeon as Adela in a scene from musical "Bernarda Alba" at Jeongdong Theater / Courtesy of Jeongdong Theater
The musical tells of the circle of violence coming from history. Bernarda is a daunting matriarch who continuously browbeats her daughters into staying at home, sewing and keeping silent during the eight-year mourning period. But she is merely following what she was told to do and had gone through when her father and grandfather died.
The violence portrayed in the musical is not only physical, but also verbal and psychological. “Horse and a whip for a man. Needle and thread for a woman,” Bernarda says during the show. She constantly threatens her daughters instead of consoling them, passing down the patriarchal values that had victimized her.
The all-women cast is powerful and intense yet dark. Jeong alternates the overbearing matriarch with Lee So-jung, best known for her appearance in “Miss Saigon” on Broadway.
"Bernarda Alba" runs through March 14 at Jeongdong Theater in central Seoul.