Play 'Take Care of Mom' Adds New Twist
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A scene from "Take Care of My Mom", a play based on the novel of the same title, which is on stage at Sejong M Theater in central Seoul through March 23. / Courtesy of Seensee Musical Company
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
The topic of motherhood has been addressed in numerous theatrical works and films whose themes can be summed up in a single word ― sacrifice.
However, the new play "Take Care of My Mom", based on the popular novel by the same name written by celebrated author Shin Kyung-sook, adds a twist.
Starring veteran actors such as Jung Hye-sun, Kil Yong-woo, Shim Yang-hong and Baek Seong-hee, the play is now on stage at the Sejong M Theater in central Seoul. Veteran producer Ko Seok-man, who has focused on producing TV dramas for the past 30 years, has returned to theater to direct.
"I thought about why more than 1.2 million copies of the book have been sold. And I found that the story offers something new. While other works on this subject have dealt with their sacrifices, this story sheds new light on the theme by adding social perspective. It reflects on present-day motherhood", Ko said in a press conference.
The director said that he tries to portray motherhood using "social realism"― meaning the relationships that mothers have cannot be free from their social conditions.
"When we were planning the play, I asked the creative team to make it different from other plays on the theme of mothers", Shin, the author of the original novel, said. "I hoped that this play would take a step forward from similar dramas",
Shin saw the play before the press event and said that it delivers a clearer message than even the novel does. "As the story now comes to life with characters actually moving onstage who can communicate with the audience, the message resonates more clearly through the play", she said.
The novelist said that she had wondered how her book would translate to the stage.
"Once the novel has been chosen to be turned into a play, the author should take a step back", she said.
The story begins in a bustling subway station, which appears on a screen onstage, where an old woman goes missing.
Her children desperately try to find her ― putting up posters and her picture on the Internet and in newspapers. While searching for their mother, their memories of her are presented through flashbacks.
Uneducated and poor, the mother believed her children to be the saviors of her life and, not wanting them to end up like her, sent them to Seoul to get a better education.
As adults, her children try to live in accordance with their mother's wishes but their busy lives cause them to eventually forget her, which is symbolized by her going missing.
The mother, meanwhile, tells her own story, revealing her personal journey filled with dreams and emotions. In a soliloquy about her state of mind, she says, "There are no mothers born to be mothers. I was once a girl and a woman", she says.
Jung takes on the role of the mother successfully, easily making the transition from television to the stage using sophisticated theatrical techniques. Veteran theatrical actress Seo I-seok, who plays the eldest daughter strikes a delicate balance between emotion and restraint, making sure not to be overly sentimental.
Though the language of the play may not be as sophisticated as that of the novel, the script is intimate and realistic, creating a compelling new take on the theme of motherhood.
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
The topic of motherhood has been addressed in numerous theatrical works and films whose themes can be summed up in a single word ― sacrifice.
However, the new play "Take Care of My Mom", based on the popular novel by the same name written by celebrated author Shin Kyung-sook, adds a twist.
Starring veteran actors such as Jung Hye-sun, Kil Yong-woo, Shim Yang-hong and Baek Seong-hee, the play is now on stage at the Sejong M Theater in central Seoul. Veteran producer Ko Seok-man, who has focused on producing TV dramas for the past 30 years, has returned to theater to direct.
"I thought about why more than 1.2 million copies of the book have been sold. And I found that the story offers something new. While other works on this subject have dealt with their sacrifices, this story sheds new light on the theme by adding social perspective. It reflects on present-day motherhood", Ko said in a press conference.
The director said that he tries to portray motherhood using "social realism"― meaning the relationships that mothers have cannot be free from their social conditions.
"When we were planning the play, I asked the creative team to make it different from other plays on the theme of mothers", Shin, the author of the original novel, said. "I hoped that this play would take a step forward from similar dramas",
Shin saw the play before the press event and said that it delivers a clearer message than even the novel does. "As the story now comes to life with characters actually moving onstage who can communicate with the audience, the message resonates more clearly through the play", she said.
The novelist said that she had wondered how her book would translate to the stage.
"Once the novel has been chosen to be turned into a play, the author should take a step back", she said.
The story begins in a bustling subway station, which appears on a screen onstage, where an old woman goes missing.
Her children desperately try to find her ― putting up posters and her picture on the Internet and in newspapers. While searching for their mother, their memories of her are presented through flashbacks.
Uneducated and poor, the mother believed her children to be the saviors of her life and, not wanting them to end up like her, sent them to Seoul to get a better education.
As adults, her children try to live in accordance with their mother's wishes but their busy lives cause them to eventually forget her, which is symbolized by her going missing.
The mother, meanwhile, tells her own story, revealing her personal journey filled with dreams and emotions. In a soliloquy about her state of mind, she says, "There are no mothers born to be mothers. I was once a girl and a woman", she says.
Jung takes on the role of the mother successfully, easily making the transition from television to the stage using sophisticated theatrical techniques. Veteran theatrical actress Seo I-seok, who plays the eldest daughter strikes a delicate balance between emotion and restraint, making sure not to be overly sentimental.
Though the language of the play may not be as sophisticated as that of the novel, the script is intimate and realistic, creating a compelling new take on the theme of motherhood.
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