Go to contents

A new perspective on Empress Myeongseong

Posted October. 21, 2016 07:10,   

Updated October. 21, 2016 07:21

한국어
Empress Myeongseong of the Joseon Dynasty is the most popular figure for art work in the era. The musical "The Lost Face 1895," which is being performed by the Seoul Performing Art Company, offers a unique perspective of the unfortunate empress who was killed by Japan: .

The motif is that no single picture of the empress is left. It is a fiction that the empress was extremely reluctant about exposing her face unlike her husband King Gojong and her father-in-law, and Japanese soldiers kill a different person in its "fox hunting" operation due to a wrong picture. It also adds historical facts including the Imo Incident (a military revolt of some units of Korean military in 1882) and the Gapsin Coup (a failed coup in 1884).

The biggest change in the musical is a new actress who stars the empress. Instead of Cha Ji-yeon who received good responses in the premier in 2013, Kim Sun-young, who showed a charismatic performance in “Wicked” and “Jekyll and Hyde," has been selected as a new empress. With stable performance and singing, she is enlivening “The Lost Face 1895.”

Director Lee Ji-na's work is outstanding. Ensemble actors and actresses in white dance in group in the beginning of the musical, and their dance is reflected on the floor of the stage, giving an impression that they are dancing on the surface of a lake, which reveals the identity of the musical as a genre.

It was also remarkable that the musical uses a three-stage structured stage in explaining the status of King Gojong who was confused by both his father and his wife. On top of this, the video clip showing the scenery of the Gyeongbok Palace added sophistication. The performance is being held in the CJ Towol Theater, the Seoul Arts Center through Sunday. The ticket price is 40,000 won to 80,000 won. For more information, please call 02-523-0984.



김정은기자 kimje@donga.com