Lee Hye-young to portray love and revenge of 'Medea'

Lee Hye-young, left, as Medea and Ha Dong-jun as Jason in Robert Alfoldi's production of "Medea" / Courtesy of National Theater Company of Korea

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Medea is one of the most notorious women in Greek mythology. She murders her own brother while eloping with her love Jason. When Jason betrays her and leaves her to marry Corinthian princess Glauce, Medea murders Jason's new wife as well as her own children to cause Jason more pain.

The National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK) will stage Euripides’ play “Medea,” centering on Medea’s mental state.

Kim Yun-cheol, artistic director of the NTCK, said Euripides’ “Medea” is one of the archetypal texts of feminism and also most frequently staged these days among the Greek tragedies.

“We will bring the text up to contemporary times, reflecting the values of today,” Kim said, mentioning how Medea explores a woman’s deeper nature as an independent figure unlike most Greek tragedies using female characters as supporting roles.

The production is helmed by Hungarian director Robert Alfoldi, who is acclaimed for his adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.” Alfoldi said he is excited to collaborate with the NTCK again.

Alfoldi understands “Medea” as a love story, a passionate one that everyone desires. “Shakespeare and Euripides have something in common ― their stories begin with being human. It is about something that can happen to anyone,” Alfoldi said.

However, the play will not remain in the time 2,000 years ago when it was first staged but will portray contemporary values.

“I don’t know and am not interested in what people of the past feel and think. I am interested in how people of today live and what they feel,” the director explained. “What do people do when they are abandoned by their lover? Killing one’s own children in revenge is not just an idea of Euripides from two thousand years ago. In Hungary, a woman killed her children and killed herself when her husband left her. Such dark, complicated sentiments exist today."

Veteran actress Lee Hye-young will play the titular role, exploding with madness and energy. Lee spent nearly three decades acting various roles from sophisticated businesswoman to hostess. Last year, she returned to the stage and played charismatic actress Arkadina in “The Seagull,” directed by Felix Alexa.

Lee said playing Medea is the greatest challenge of her life as an actress. “I grew up as a human through playing many roles, whether the influence is positive or not. Medea made me look back upon my life as a woman, a mother, an actress and a human."

Lee had never seen ‘Medea’ before she accepted the role and worried about playing such a terrifying role, but the director helped her understand the love and revenge of Medea.

"Alfoldi is a great director as well as a refined actor and I learned a lot from him. Medea enlightened what acting is to me," Lee said.

Jin Tae-ok designs costumes

Another notable woman in the production is Jin Tae-ok, one of the first generation fashion designers in Korea.

Jin, known for her simple and romantic design, is the godmother of the Korean fashion history. She is the first Korean to take part in the Pret-a-Porter Collections in Paris in 1993 and used Korean traditional materials accented with traditional pattern or images from folk paintings.

"As a fashion designer, I express myself through my collection, but I have to express the characters on stage as a costume designer. Except for substituting myself for the characters, there are similarities in both jobs,” Jin said. “I read the script over 15 times to design the costumes. The set design is simple, so I talked with the director several times to set the style.”

She interpreted the extreme characters by carefully selecting materials for the costume.

“In the beginning, Medea wears a black velvet and silk dress representing her glamorous life as a princess as well as her deepest agony and wrath in the dark,” Jin explained. “In the second act, Medea takes vengeance and she loses herself. I expressed her character drained of energy in a soft red jersey dress.”

She also tailored costumes to make the actors comfortable in them. “Medea did three costume fittings and I tried to calculate how much Medea moves around on the stage," Jin said.

The veteran designer enjoyed making costumes for the characters, who will come alive on stage in her creations.

“I loved and enjoyed experimenting on the costumes. I saw a rehearsal yesterday and cried a bit. I am fascinated by ‘Medea’ and maybe I would do another set of stage costumes instead of designing my collection,” Jin said.

The play runs from Feb. 24 to April 2 at the Myeongdong Theater in central Seoul. English subtitles are provided every Thursday and Sunday. Tickets cost from 20,000 to 50,000 won. For more information, visit www.ntck.or.kr or call 1644-2003.