[On Stage] Jeong Seon-ah "Dracula, Returning After 10 Years, Is More Fun"

"Parts I Didn't Understand at the Premiere, Now I Do"
"Marriage and Childbirth Were a Break, But Helped My Acting Career"
"'If Den' Opened My Second Act in Life... My Best Choice"

"I believe that nothing, not even age, affects an actor on stage."

These are the words of musical actress Jeong Seon-ah (40), whose enduring passion for the stage is palpable. She has built a more dazzling career than anyone else as a musical actress. At 18 years old in 2002, she debuted as the female lead 'Mimi' in the blockbuster musical Rent. Since then, she has conquered major blockbuster musicals such as Jekyll & Hyde, Mozart!, Aida, and Wicked, maintaining her position at the top. Although she recently had a hiatus due to marriage and childbirth, she won the Best Actress award at this year's Korean Musical Awards at the age of forty. It was especially meaningful as she received it for If Then, her comeback work after childbirth. We recently met Jeong Seon-ah at a cafe in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul.

[Photo by Odicompany Co., Ltd.]

Jeong Seon-ah is currently starring in the musical Dracula. She played the female lead 'Mina' in the original 2014 production. She did not participate in the 2016, 2020, and 2021 performances, but this year, after 10 years, she has taken on the role of Mina again. She said she is enjoying immersing herself in the role of Mina more than during the original production because her understanding of the character has deepened.

"I was younger during the original production, and there were quite a few parts I didn't understand. Now, with time passing, aging, and experiencing more of the world, I feel like Mina could really be like this. Getting married, pregnant, and giving birth has been a great help to my acting career. I think I now think more deeply about things I couldn't before, and that greatly helps my performance. Because my perspective on the world has changed, I can understand and love this character Mina more. So, she is sadder, more poignant, and more tender than 10 years ago. I think I have been able to express the parts I struggled with in the past in a way that the audience can understand better, so I am enjoying the performance very much."

Mina resembles Count Dracula's lover Elisabeth from 400 years ago. Mina is engaged to Jonathan Harker but feels a strange emotion toward Dracula, who approaches her calling her Elisabeth. As she hears Dracula's story of his past love, she gradually falls into confusion. Jeong Seon-ah described Mina as a warm and strong woman who struggles with confusion but finds courage for her love.

"Mina had a man she loved, Jonathan, and dreamed of a very ordinary life, but after meeting Dracula and hearing about his past life, she feels a confusing sense of familiarity and shares in the pain Dracula experienced. She undergoes many changes and shows passion and courage for love. Expressing a character who is like a calm wave and then plunges into a swirling vortex is not easy. There is a big difference in how Mina is portrayed in Act 1 and Act 2."

Last month, Jeong Seon-ah won the Best Actress award at the 8th Korean Musical Awards. She had been nominated twice before but did not win, and on her third attempt, she earned the honor. She said that if she could win Best Actress, she wanted it to be for If Then, a work she holds very dear. Jeong Seon-ah said, "If Then opened the second act of my musical career."

If Then is set in New York, USA, and deals with the work and love of a 39-year-old woman named Elizabeth. Although a fictional character, Elizabeth's age and many aspects resonated with her.

"It talks about career women and also about getting married and having children, so I thought my life's first and second acts are all here. I received a lot of empathy and comfort. While performing, I was happy to see many audience members sharing the same empathy and comfort."

[Photo by Odi Company Co., Ltd.]

If Then was a domestic premiere. Premieres require creating everything anew, including character settings, so it is inevitably a heavy burden. Choosing a premiere as a comeback work is, in a way, a gamble.

"My musical life feels like a series of challenges, but If Then was truly a big challenge. It was an anxious and burdensome comeback work, but looking back now, I think it was the best choice I ever made. It became the key to opening the second act of my life."

Having made a splendid return to the stage, she said she wants to continue showing great performances. As younger colleagues increase, her sense of responsibility has grown, and she feels she must work even harder.

"I think it's true that as you get older and gain more experience, you have to work harder. Now I also know that exercising before a performance improves the quality of the show. So I have no choice but to exercise more diligently. I feel more responsibility and weight than before. I want to show a side of myself that can shine more brilliantly and splendidly."

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