[On Stage] 'Pansori Hamlet' Song Bora "Performing a One-Person Play Helped Me Understand Hamlet More Deeply"

'Pansori Hamlet,' a Play Combining Theater and Pansori, to be Performed at Daehakro Yeonwoo Small Theater on the 6th and 7th

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] "Changing the format to a one-person play deepened my understanding of Hamlet."

Sorikkun Song Bora (photo) is staging 'Pansori Hamlet' again after about three years. The performance will take place on the 6th and 7th at Yeonwoo Small Theater in Daehak-ro. We met her on the afternoon of the 5th at a cafe near Yeonwoo Small Theater, a day before the performance.

Pansori Hamlet is not simply a pansori adaptation of the Hamlet play, but a performance where Song Bora acts while performing pansori. Unlike traditional pansori performances where the performer wears hanbok, Song Bora appears on stage in theatrical costumes.

Pansori Hamlet was first performed in 2012. At that time, six people including actors, sorikkuns, a pianist, and a gosu performed together on stage. In 2015, four performers?three sorikkuns and one actor?performed Pansori Hamlet. That performance was subtitled 'Hamlet Dissociative Identity Project,' where four people acted as Hamlet to show various inner aspects of Hamlet. Until 2017, it was performed as a four-person play, but this time, after three years, it returns to the stage as a one-person play. The intention behind this format change is to better convey Hamlet's inner world to the audience by having one person portray Hamlet. Considering that pansori is originally a one-person performance, this format is closer to the traditional style.

"After the 2017 performance, I hadn't done Pansori Hamlet, but I always wanted to continue. While having that thought, the idea of performing alone with direction and planning aligned perfectly."

Pansori is often called a layered art form. It means it is continuously reinterpreted, inherited, and developed over time. Therefore, various schools exist. The official title of this performance is 'Pansori Hamlet - Song Bora Edition.' This leaves room for other sorikkuns to adapt and perform Pansori Hamlet in the future.

Song Bora also slightly adapted the work over repeated performances since the original 2012 premiere, where she worked on the composition. This time, the part about pirates, which was omitted in the four-person play, is included. This is the scene where Hamlet, exiled from Denmark, encounters pirates on his way to England. "I thought the scene where Hamlet meets the pirates coincides with the Battle of Red Cliffs part in the pansori 'Jeokbyeokga.' I thought it was a part that could add fun, so I greatly increased its weight."

On the other hand, lines where Hamlet expresses anger toward his mother Gertrude, such as "Dirty body, melt away," are preserved and delivered through pansori. This allows the audience to enjoy both the theatrical and pansori elements simultaneously.

The most heartbreaking scene in the original Hamlet is Ophelia's death. Since Ophelia does not appear in this performance, Hamlet directly mentions and mourns Ophelia's death. Song Bora said, "Hamlet misses Ophelia and performs as if sending her off in his own way." Because Hamlet's feelings of losing Ophelia are expressed directly, the audience can feel more poignant emotions. Song Bora also said, "While singing, I feel the emotions come closer and more intensely."

Hamlet, famous for the line "To be or not to be, that is the question," is often seen as a typical indecisive character. However, Song Bora does not think Hamlet is indecisive. "He makes decisions and acts according to his will, but unintentionally kills Polonius, and the situation flows in a direction he does not want. So I wanted the part where Hamlet makes a resolution to be emphasized in the performance." She added that she composed lyrics to the pianist's music to emphasize Hamlet's resolution.

Song Bora introduced Pansori Hamlet as a work that is more enjoyable and easier to appreciate than the original Hamlet. "Even if you come without knowing Hamlet's story, you can understand the content and feel Hamlet's emotions. Also, those who think Hamlet is boring might find it interesting."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.