Actors Stepping Off the Screen 'Onto the Stage'

Ahn Eun-jin's Play 'Silent Sky'
Welcoming Audience as Female Astronomer
Lee Dong-hwi's Theater Debut in 'Life of Others'
Portraying German Secret Police 'Biesler'
Lee Sung-kyung Transforms into Jasmine in 'Aladdin'

One of the characteristics of this year's performing arts scene is the active entry of star actors who have played leading roles in movies and TV dramas. This is due to the impact of COVID-19 and the growth of the Over-The-Top (OTT) market. The number of film productions decreased as movies that could not be released during the COVID-19 period were delayed. This has also affected the drama market, where the boundaries between movies and dramas have become blurred due to the emergence of OTT platforms. Actors are expanding their domains to the stage, and this trend continues through the end of the year.

Actor Ahn Eun-jin, who received great love last year for her role as the female lead 'Gil Chae' in the drama Lovers, will return to the theater stage after seven years. Ahn Eun-jin will appear as the female lead, American female astronomer Henrietta Leavitt (1868-1921), in the play Silent Sky, performed at the National Theater of Korea Myeongdong Arts Theater until the 28th. This is Ahn Eun-jin's first time on stage since Judo Boy in 2017.

Eun-jin An, who plays the lead role of Henrietta Leavitt in the National Theater Company's play "Silent Sky"
[Photo by National Theater Company]

Leavitt worked at Harvard University's observatory in the early 19th century and discovered Cepheid variable stars (stars whose brightness varies periodically and whose period is proportional to luminosity), which allowed the measurement of distances to galaxies. Leavitt's discovery laid the foundation for Edwin Hubble's discovery of Hubble's Law. In the play, Leavitt is portrayed as a figure who quietly paved the way for herself, struggling to find her life during a time when women were not even allowed to vote.

Actor Lee Dong-hwi will make his theater debut with The Lives of Others, performed at the LG Arts Center Seoul Uplus (U+) Stage until January 19 next year. The Lives of Others is based on the 2006 German film of the same name. The film was recognized for its artistic merit, winning the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2007 Academy Awards and the Best Non-English Language Film at the 2008 British Academy Film Awards.

The Lives of Others deals with government wiretapping and surveillance of artists in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Lee Dong-hwi plays Wiesler, an East German secret police officer who monitors the dissident East German playwright Dreyman and his popular actress partner Christa, gradually becoming sympathetic to Dreyman.

Lee Sung-kyung will make her musical stage debut as Princess Jasmine in Aladdin, performed at the Charlotte Theater until June 22 next year. Aladdin is based on the 1992 Disney animated film of the same name. The production features a dazzling and lively show throughout its 150-minute runtime. The musical Aladdin premiered in Seattle, USA, in 2011, then moved to Broadway in 2014 and the West End in London in 2016. This year marks the Korean premiere, ten years after its Broadway debut. After the Seoul performances, Aladdin will continue in Busan starting July next year.

Lee Sung-kyung (right) and Park Kang-hyun, who played the male and female leads in the musical 'Aladdin' [Photo by S&Co]

Veteran actor Kim Sang-kyung will also return to the theater stage after 14 years. Kim Sang-kyung appears as Michel in the play God of Carnage, which opens on the 3rd and runs until January 5 next year at the Jayu Small Theater in the Seoul Arts Center. God of Carnage is based on the 2006 play by French playwright Yasmina Reza. It won the Tony Award for Best Play in 2009, recognizing its artistic merit. Roman Polanski directed a film adaptation of the same title, which premiered at the 2011 Venice International Film Festival. The film starred Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet, attracting much attention. The play depicts a conversation between two sets of parents whose children have gotten into a fight. Initially attempting to resolve the issue politely through dialogue, the parents eventually become emotionally charged, leading to a physical altercation.

Kim Nam-hee, who passionately portrayed Jin Seong-jun, the eldest grandson of the Sunyang Group in the 2022 drama The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate, will return to the theater stage after four years. He appears as playwright S in the two-person play Thebeland, performed at the Chungmu Art Center Small Theater Black until February 9 next year. Thebeland is inspired by the Oedipus myth and written by Uruguayan playwright Sergio Blanco. Oedipus, king of Thebes, kills his father and marries his mother. S, played by Kim Nam-hee, interviews Martin, who killed his father and is serving a life sentence, intending to turn Martin's story into a play.

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