'Faust Ending' seeks alternative finale
A scene from the play "Faust Ending," starring Kim Sung-nyo, right, as Faust, and Park Wan-kyu as Mephistopheles / Courtesy of National Theater Company of Korea
Actresses defy gender in classics
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Goethe's "Faust" is considered a masterpiece of German literature, portraying how humanity can be saved despite corruption through strenuous attempts.
"Faust Ending," a new play by the National Theater Company of Korea (NTCK), twists the iconic ending of the original play, centering on humane agony and responsibility. Veteran actress Kim Sung-nyo plays the titular role.
Playwright and director Cho Kwang-hwa adapted the play into a 110-minute version centering on the chaos of human civilization, departing from the original ending.
In the original, Faust is redeemed by God in the end for his constant striving. God accepts Faust into heaven despite his wrongdoings, saying "Man errs as long as he strives.”
However, Cho interpreted this as how human desire could end up in destruction and emphasized how Faust takes responsibility for what “she” has done. In this version, Faust makes a decision on her own to go to hell, instead of being saved. Faust walks into the hell, where she is surrounded by wild dog puppets, representing “Grim Reapers.”
A scene from the play "Faust Ending" / Courtesy of National Theater Company of Korea
Another notable element of this adaptation is that Cho picked actress Kim to play Faust, bending the gender of the original character. The versatile Kim portrays the old scholar proficient at philosophy, law, medicine and theology who feels the vanity of learning and signs a contract with Mephistopheles the Devil.
In the original, Faust falls in love with the young woman Gretchen and seduces her. Instead of ruining Gretchen's life, Faust communes with her and forms solidarity with the pregnant woman, person-to-person. The play loses its strength a bit when Faust decides to marry Gretchen to protect her and her baby; as getting married is not the only way to express the sympathy and solidarity between two people.
Faust's study and classroom, where her students from different fields fight for power and she experiments on them, reflects contemporary society in which knowledge and technology becomes destructive against people.
Cho uses puppets to describe the grotesque world of Faust. In addition to the red-eyed wild dog puppets, Faust's humanoid creation Homunculus is also portrayed with a puppet, strengthening the dystopian atmosphere of the play.
Actor Park Wan-kyu stars as the playful Mephistopheles opposite Kim. Park's humorous yet serious portrayal of the devil peppers the play with liveliness.
The play runs through March 28.
A scene from "Hamlet," starring actress Lee Bong-ryun as Princess Hamlet / Courtesy of National Theater Company of Korea
Gender-bending plays galore
Kim is not the only actress who is venturing into roles typically played by male actors.
Another NTCK production "Hamlet," shown online in February, cast actress Lee Bong-ryun as princess Hamlet.
Director Boo Sae-rom said she wanted the Shakespearean classic to resonate with contemporary audiences, breaking away from the traditional, prejudiced perspective on women.
In this adaptation, Hamlet is described as a former naval officer, good at crossing swords. The princess aspires for the throne, wants to take revenge and agonizes over life, just like any man would.
In the Korean production of the Peter Shaffer play "Amadeus," actress Cha Ji-yeon alternated the role of Antonio Salieri with male actors.
Salieri is a historical male figure, unlike the above-mentioned fictional male characters portrayed by actresses. However, Cha's stellar portrayal of the character who recognizes the talent of Mozart and tormented by his own ordinariness, defies gender norms.