This is opera meets Korean traditional theatre meets Euripides’s ancient Greek tragedy – and it all works together brilliantly. Put on by the National Changgeuk Company of Korea and directed by Ong Keng Sen, it’s a beautiful production of an epic scale, with an exhilarating sound bed and glorious displays of pansori (that’s Korean storytelling through song, accompanied by percussion).
Through the war-torn eyes of the left-behind Trojan women, the story follows the aftermath of the fall of Troy via the female struggle for power and rare, fleeting moments of maternal love. The nature of the story is unforgivingly bleak and, at times, it can be tough to watch. Gloom and doom aside, though, Euripides’ tragedy is interpreted magnificently here with successful nods to the Korean tradition.
The sound, by K-pop producer Jung Jae-il (who did the score for ‘Parasite’), is piercing and evocative, grounded by near-constant pounding drums and pervasive strings. It did well to roll over tension from one scene to the next and leave the spotlight to the pansori: a visceral, throaty song that often sounded like weeping, it complemented the competing narratives of female anguish and resilience.
A simple white set, with its symmetrical stairs and considerable height, works as a backdrop for the projected video, with swirls of fire and water consuming the cast and creating a visual spectacle that only added another layer to all the drama.
There’s a lot of finger-pointing and power-switching going on in this play, and Yi So-yeon’s Cassandra is a stand-out with her maddened facial expressions and alluring stare. The chorus of women with their thrilling vocal range is also a treat to behold, but it’s the combination of it all – the acting, song, music, set – that made this a truly spellbinding show.
