Tale of Orpheus reinterpreted in changgeuk

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The Greek tale of Orpheus is well known in Korea. The talented musician descends to the underworld to bring his wife Eurydice, who encountered an unexpected death, back to this side. His music softens the heart of Hades, the god of the underworld, and Orpheus obtains permission to return with his beloved Eurydice. However, he breaks his promise with Hades and looks at his wife before reaching the world of the living and loses her again.

The tragic love story inspired many artists, providing motifs for music, paintings, plays and films, including Claudio Monteverdi's opera "L'Orfeo," one of the earliest works in the form of operatic music.

The National Changgeuk Company of Korea (NCCK) also drew inspiration from the tale of the lovers and interpreted the Greek legend in the form of "changgeuk," a Korean style of traditional musical theater.

Staged at the grand Main Hall Hae of the National Theater of Korea on Mount Nam, the huge set symbolizing a traditional Korean kite is overwhelming.

Director and playwright Lee So-young added depth to the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice by reinterpreting the plot.

Orfe (alternately played by Kim Jun-soo and Yu Tae-pyung-yang) and Eur (played by Lee So-yeon) wear simple white shirts and jeans like ordinary people.

They sing about love flying over the stage, but Eur dies from an unexpected accident and Orfe tries to commit suicide to follow Eur. He falls into the other world, where he finds her and tries to bring her back to this world. The plot takes a twist from the original Greek myth and Eur talks to him about life going with the order of the cosmos.

In this changgeuk, Orfe makes his own decision to look back to Eur as he attempts to bring her back to the living world. It also reflects on the cycle of birth and rebirth as Eur is called to be reincarnated. Such a Korean, or Oriental, perspective provides food for thought on love, life and death.

The changgeuk relies heavily on the two lead roles, Orfe and Eur, and other cast members are merely featured as the souls of the underworld and the common people of this world, providing a backdrop for the two lovers. The stark contrast between the souls and the living, bustling world emphasizes the tragedy of the two lovers.

The set representing a kite revolves on the stage and its two sides effectively contrast this world and the netherworld, and choreography by Kim Bo-ram of the Ambiguous Dance Company conveys the atmosphere of the underworld through dreamy yet fierce movements.

Music by experienced composer Hwang Ho-joon, who previously collaborated with the NCCK in "Aerang and Baebijang," "Medea" and "A Father's Path," is pleasant to listen to as harmonic instrumental music plays a significant role in storytelling, gaining independence from being a mere accompaniment in traditional pansori.

Hwang's attempt is quite experimental. The changgeuk is performed sung-through and Hwang's dreamy and fluent music goes well with the desperate vocals of Orfe and Eur. He also deconstructed the traditional rhythm of pansori and incorporates different styles of music such as jazz and hip-hop to convey the feelings of the two lovers and the souls of the other world.

The changgeuk runs until Wednesday. For more information, visit ntok.go.kr or call 02-2280-4114.