By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Renowned movie star and musical actor
Hwang Jeong-min will star in a new play, "University of Laughs" written by Japanese dramatist Koki Mitani.
The play will be shown in Korea for the first time as the ninth work of the Yeongeuk Yeoljeon 2 (Best Plays Series) programmed by veteran actor
Jo Jae-hyeon. The play will be staged at Dongsoong Art Center in central Seoul Oct. 24 to Nov. 30.
The piece is a comedy based on the story of an artist's freedom of expression when faced with censorship. The work is a two-man play set over seven days amid World War II in 1940.
A young playwright comes up against a government censor to put a comedy on stage. The censor's job is to prevent anything political or taboo from getting into the pre-war media, but this particular censor has a thing against comedy, too.
Hwang will play the role of a young writer while actor
Song Yeong-chang will take the role of a cold-blooded government censor.
The play was originally performed at Parco Theatre in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan in 1997 to high acclaim. It was also made into a film which was then released in 2004 by Toho Studios, and directed by Hoshii Mamoru.
"It is the first time for me to take a leading role in a play. I will show how exciting the play is", Hwang said in a press conference on Friday.
"The script is so well-organized that the audience can spontaneously laugh. This work reflects the scriptwriter's philosophy about laughs", said Hwang.
Hwang gained popularity as a movie star but he began his acting career in theaters. The award-winning performer first began his acting career as a musical actor in "Line 1" (1995) and then starred in various musicals such as "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Cats" and recently "Nine". "I think a movie is the art of a director but the play is the art of an actor", he said.
Starring in various musicals and plays in Daehangno, Hwang is now a household name on the big screen with successful performances in "
You are my Sunshine", (2005) "
Black House" (2007) and
"Happiness" (2007)".
Hwang's debut film was "The
Waikiki Brothers" in 2001. Then he appeared in prominent films like "
A Good Lawyer's Wife", "
You are my Sunshine", and "
Bloody Tie", in which he portrayed many diverse characters.
Tickets of the play cost from 25,000 won to 45,000 won. For more information, call (02) 766-6007.
