October 14, 2019
WOOhat a great news to wake up to! He will be in a play! I went immediately to see what it was about. This is an excerpt from Wikipedia:
The Elephant Song is a Canadian stage play by Nicolas Billon, first presented in 2002 with a reading at Infininite Theatre, Montreal. It is about events following the sudden disappearance of a psychiatrist, Dr. Lawrence, from a mental institution and possible involvement of a young patient of the hospital, Michael, in the disappearance.
Michael is a disturbed son of an opera singer and a distant father he has only seen once. The elephant connection is when in their sole meeting together in a nature reserve, the father kills an elephant in front of his son. The incident traumatizes the very young Michael. So does his mother’s cold attitude and her distancing herself from him for a singing career.
Toby Green, an independent psychiatrist is assigned to investigate Michael’s involvement as Michael draws the doctor into a psychological mind game involving his past experiences with parents, with Michael claiming he was the cause of his mother’s death as he refused to call an ambulance and sang instead the “elephant song” to her until she died on the floor. He discusses the circumstances of his forced stay in the hospital, he hints to doctor-patient improper relationships involving him and his supervising doctor, and a bizarre relationship with the head nurse…
Don’t want to give away the ending… !
I also found the Screen Play on sale in Amazon.
And there was movie made in 2014:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3754976/
It’s available in iTunes and Amazon Prime!
And it participated in the Toronto Film Festival. HERE is a review by Variety. com
Sadly it wasn’t very good it seems. But I am sure Ilwoo saw it or will see it as a reference for his work.
And last but not least here is an article from today in the musical. com, I translated it to English using Google Translate:
Jung Il woo, Kang Seung-ho and Kwak Dong-yeon Triple Casting.
The Musical.co.kr
In The Elephant Song, Jung Il-woo, Kang Seung-ho, Kwak Dong-yeon, Lee Suk-jun, Ko Young-bin, Yang Victory, Ko Su-hee, Park Ji-a, and Lee Hyun-jin appear.
The Elephant Song is a story about the hospital doctor Greenberg’s last visit to the patient Michael, who was looking for the whereabouts of a suddenly disappearing doctor. It is a highly psychological drama in which the dialogue between the three characters, including the nurse nurse Peterson, takes care of Michael.
The Elephant Song was a hit after the 2015 Asian premiere, and the director of the 12th Golden Ticket Awards plays Ji Ho leads this work. Won in the category. Kim participated every season since the premiere.
Michael, the boy who plays the story of an elephant like a game, is played by Jung Il-woo, Kang Seung-ho and Kwak Dong-yeon. Kwak Dong-yeon played the same role at the time of the performance in 2017 and challenged the play for the first time and showed solid performance. With a special affection for the work, he returns to the role of Michael in two years. Kang Seung-ho has attracted attention with appearances in R & J and BEA.
Jung Il-woo, who appeared in the SBS drama Hatch, appears in the play after nine years. Jung Il-woo, who has been active in various genres from documentary <Wild Map> to broadcasting <Newly-released Funds>, decided to appear in a busy schedule.
Lee Seok-jun and Ko Young-bin, who are starring hospital director Greenberg, showed heavy acting in this role from the re-performance in 2016 to the third performance the following year. The two victories, which showed stable performances in the Lee Sun-dong Clean Center and Fan Letter, will play a new role in Greenberg.
Peter, the nurse nurse who takes care of Michael, is played by Ko Su-hee, Park Ji-ah, and Lee Hyun-jin. Ko Su-hee has played this role since her premiere in 2015. Park Ji-ah, who appeared in <Agalia’s Daughters>, and Lee Hyun-jin, who showed their distinctive performances in <Island: 1933 ~ 2019> and <Sunsun-Dong Clean Center>, were newly cast. The “ Elephant Song ” will be performed by veteran actors as a performance ensemble.
Sales start 2 pm on October 24. All seats are available in YES 24 Stage 3 at Daehakro up to 55,000 won.
I think the theater is part of the Arko Theater complex! So he will be close to the stage where he performed Beautiful Sunday in 2008!
DAEHANGNO ARTS THEATER (aka DAEHAKRO) 한국공연예술센터
Is part of the same theater grouping as Arko Arts Theater located in Daeghanno, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
Address: 110-809 Daehak-ro 10-gil 17 (1-67 Dongsung-dong), Jongno-gu
Tel: 3668-0007
Getting There: Line 4 Hyehwa Station, Stop 420, Exit 2
Turn back as you exit the station. Enter the road between KFC and Samtoh Blue Bird Theater. Go straight for 50m. Map
WITAT
I’m so excited for Ilwoo! This will be so wonderful for him. It is a different kind of role, he will love digging his teeth into it! I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it… it’s so expensive! And something tells me there will be other great opportunities to be with him next year! But wouldn’t it be great to see him act live like that? He does look a bit creepy in the next photo… he has that crazy edge sometimes… I think he showed it in High End Crush and in Flower Boy Ramen Shop. I feel it will be big hit for him…
