[On Stage] The Bittersweet Self-Portrait of the SNS and Honbap Generations

Musical 'Chami' and Play 'One-Person Table'... Comfort for Those Who Cry Even While Smiling

Musical 'Chami' performance scene
Photo by Page One

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] A line from the legendary song "That Winter's Teahouse" by the 'King of Songs' Jo Yong-pil: "Ah, even when I smile, tears fall."

Among the audiences who watched the musical "Chami" and the play "Single Dining Table," some might have shed tears while laughing. Both "Chami" and "Single Dining Table" are funny and intriguing. Especially in "Chami," laughter never ceases in the audience. However, the protagonists in the plays reflect the harsh realities faced by today's young generation.

The main character Chamiho in "Chami" is a job seeker working part-time at a convenience store. Oh In-yong in "Single Dining Table" is a rookie who just passed probation. Both Chamiho and Oh In-yong crave love and attention from others amid their tough lives.

Both plays unfold their stories with cartoon-like imagination. In "Chami," Chamiho's phone screen cracks, and another version of Chamiho from social networking services (SNS) bursts into the real world. In "Single Dining Table," a bizarre academy appears before Oh In-yong, who has no one to eat with, teaching him how to eat alone for a fee. These unrealistic imaginations seem to express the desire to escape from harsh reality. The plays end with Chamiho and Oh In-yong finding happiness, offering comfort for our difficult lives.

Chamiho uses "Chami," which is her name without the last syllable, as her SNS account name. She only posts her happy and beautiful images on SNS. Therefore, Chami in SNS is always happy. This Chami is also the ideal version of herself that Chamiho dreams of. Hence, the Chami who emerges into the world after the phone screen breaks is prettier, slimmer, and more capable than Chamiho.

Chami not only gets a job that Chamiho couldn't but also confidently faces her crush, senior Oh Jin-hyuk. Through Chami, Chamiho realizes that she too deserves to be loved. The play shows through Chamiho that even if life is tough, when someone recognizes and loves me, I can get closer to the ideal version of myself that I truly dream of.

Theater performance scene of 'One-Person Table'
Photo by Doosan Art Center

Oh In-yong in "Single Dining Table" seems like a slightly older version of Chamiho. A rookie who succeeded in getting a job after a hard struggle. He thought life would go smoothly once he got a job, but social life is tougher than expected.

At lunchtime, everyone pairs up in groups of three or five to eat, but Oh In-yong cannot blend in with them. He doesn't know why. No one invites Oh In-yong to eat together. Oh In-yong also cannot easily say, "Let's go eat." He ends up eating alone. Not wanting to show a pitiful side, he avoids his coworkers. By chance, he finds a flyer for an academy that teaches how to eat alone and decides to visit.

The original work of "Single Dining Table" is a short story of the same name by Yoon Go-eun, which was a nominee for the 2010 Hyundai Literary Award. Yoon Go-eun viewed the harsh gaze toward those who eat alone as a form of violence.

"Women are not free from the gaze of others. A table set with a single pair of chopsticks is like a boxing ring. A woman stands alone on it, facing the flying gazes. Curious spectators throw left hooks, right hooks, and gazes... Sometimes, the woman also aims her gaze back at the source." (Yoon Go-eun, "Single Dining Table")

The stage of the play "Single Dining Table" is a square shaped like a ring. The audience seats are arranged on all four sides like a boxing arena. The actors perform shadow boxing on the square stage. Boxers overpower their opponents with their own steps and rhythm. The play shows that everyone has their own rhythm of life. Some have people to eat with, while others enjoy eating alone. In fact, restaurants catering to solo diners have been increasing recently. This is closely related to our tough lives, where mealtime has become an extension of work as life grows more complicated.

In the play, the highest level for solo diners is grilling meat alone at a barbecue restaurant. This is compared to climbing Mount Everest. Oh In-yong grills pork belly on stage for about ten minutes, drinks a glass of alcohol, and the curtain falls. The audience on all four sides stare blankly at Oh In-yong with envious eyes. It is a counter uppercut thrown by Oh In-yong after a hard struggle.

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