Personal Side of Picasso Through His Women
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Pablo Picasso has god-like status in modern art history. But as for his women, he was deemed a complicated, harsh and even vicious man.
The Korean adaptation of ``Picasso's Women'' will portray their voices, and not from the perspective of the artist. The play will be staged at the Opera House of Seoul Arts Center from April 16 to April 26.
Paul Garrington, the British director of the play, said that even though Picasso was cruel, unkind and sometimes violent, his paintings, to a certain extent, define the state of humanity.
``They have compassionate paintings sometimes, and often very cruel paintings ― but very human. The way he seemed to understand was the human condition and human spirit. So it's very surprising and fascinating,'' Garrington said in an interview with The Korea Times.
The show is a series of monologues from the point of view of Picasso's wives and mistresses, who loved and were loved by the artist. Playwright Brian McAvera originally wrote eight separate monologues, ranging from the very early days of Picasso's career until his death.
He chose to tell the story of four women who were important to Picasso and his works, and yet have been largely ignored by history.
``So we get to meet two of Picasso's wives and in between them his mistresses,'' Garrington said.
``I was interested in putting these women on the same stage to explore the similarity and contrast. They all talk about each other all the time. It's always my dream maybe."
The women in the play will speak from the grave, able to look back over their entire lives. ``That idea gives a lot of freedom because they never would be in the same room together, but maybe in death. Maybe in afterlives, they do,'' the director said.
Garrington, renowned for ``Mamma Mia!'' and ``Dancing Shadows'' in Korea, said that the play is intended to give the women a voice and reclaim them from history because people only know about them through the paintings. ``The intention was to hear that side of the story to fill in the gap and divide between what we see in the paintings and what the truth was. It's a charm to see a bigger picture,'' he said.
Garrington directed the first production of ``Picasso's Women'' about 10 years ago in England. At the time, he didn't know anything about Picasso, except his masterpieces. But as he studied the history of the artist, he was awestruck.
``It's more about the personal side and I think what's fascinating about Picasso is that he produced such beautiful and wonderful art, but he was absolutely a monster man. Violence and power and the personality are often opposite to the beauty of the work,'' he said.
In the play, Kim Seong-nyeo will play Jacqueline, Bae Hae-sun will take the role of Franscoise, Seol Lee-sook will perform as Olga and Lee Tae-rin will be Marie-Therese.
Garrington shows his eagerness for the play in the rehearsal room, often bringing flowers and decorating it with pictures of the characters.
``The actresses are playing real people who existed and a lot of research and materials are available and a lot of photographs of them ... They have clear visual images they are talking about. … I want to create the atmosphere in the rehearsal room that was relaxed and fresh rather than intimidating or too professional. I want to create a warm room where people can be free to express themselves,'' he said.
In fact, Garrington is better known for the musical ``Mamma Mia!'' and numerous plays around the world, but ``Picasso's Women'' is the first play he has directed in Korea.
``It's interesting for me because I am working on just spoken text. There is no music and no big choreography. I have to find a different way of listening and working on the text with them, in a way that I can understand and they can understand. … Sometimes it's very difficult, but it's a very intimate process and very personal. What I want is to make these women do the best they can and show themselves at their best,'' he said.
But he said that although the difference between the musical and the play comes from the sheer size of the cast and the different elements of the orchestra, he thinks his job is basically the same. ``I don't really see that much difference. Sometimes, doing musicals is incredibly stressful. The play is more focused. But the work is the same. I love working in a team and having collaborators and sharing responsibility, and in a play it's often more alone. I like both,'' he said.
Unlike the original work, the play will have no nudity, but the words are powerful and sometimes violent, he said. ``They were forced to be put into very extreme situations and respond with the language that suits that. So we are not hiding them. (It) may be a little bit shocking,'' he said.
Originally trained as a classical pianist and cellist, he will focus on putting the musical element into the theatrical art. There will be a live jazz pianist on stage accompanying the women. The actresses will be able to respond to the energy the artist gives them, like a dialogue, he added.