Play revisits horrors of World War II

A scene from Polish director Jan Klata’s “A Piece on Mother and Fatherland” / Courtesy of LG Art Center

LG Arts Center's 'Piece on Mother and Fatherland' on

May 16-17

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Polish director Jan Klata brings his play, “A Piece on Mother and the Fatherland,” to Korea for the first time for performances at the LG Arts Center in southern Seoul May 16-17.

The play, based on Polish writer Bozena Keff’s novel of the same name, is about how a mother-daughter relationship is affected by events that occurred during World War II.

A Polish Jewish mother, who has survived the Holocaust, is still traumatized by the horrors of her experiences while her daughter, Usia, tries to overcome her mother’s suffering through art.

The 42-year-old Klata offers a story about homeland and history, a mother and her daughter, and the tensions between individuals and society in this stunning production. The performance begins with women in black dresses and red heels singing. The interiors of the metal cabinets on stage are filled with flowers in stark contrast to their cold, sleek exterior.

In the play, Plata attempts to portray how human nature changes throughout history, as a nation becomes filled with hatred and domination, while focusing on the strong bond between a mother and daughter.

The two women head in opposite directions despite their unbreakable bond as if they cannot escape from their country and its tragic history.

The play is both a Greek tragedy and an oratorio, and the Chorus narrates the tale. Meanwhile, the music is inspired by opera, gospel and the soundtracks of popular movies such as “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” lending the play a contemporary feel.

“This play is grotesque and beautiful at the same time. There is a significant message behind the entrancing visual elements, and the Korean audience, who went through similar historic events to the Poles, will empathize with the play,” an LG Arts Center spokeswoman said.

Klata studied directing at the Warsaw Theatre Academy before transferring to the State Theatre School in Krakow. His directing debut was for Nikolai Gogol’s play, “The Government Inspector,” about communist Poland in the 1970s.

Klata received rave reviews for his work on the play. He was named the artistic director of the National Stary Theatre at the age of 39.

“A Piece on Mother and the Fatherland” premiered at the Polski Theatre in Wroclaw in 2011 and toured to Slovenia, Croatia, Russia, Romania and other countries. It won the Best Direction for a Play award at Poland’s Cracow Divine Comedy Festival in the same year.

The play is in Polish with Korean subtitles. Tickets are 30,000-70,000 won. For more information, visit www.lgart.com or call (02) 2005-0114.