Art and Culture

And now it's time for our daily arts and culture segment with our Michelle Kim. Today, she'll start us off with two plays that are now on stage in Korea.

Hello Michelle

[Reporter : ] Hello Conn-young

So tell us about the two plays.

[Reporter : ] Well, these are two very thought-provoking plays about the subjects of life and death. Though they are similar in theme, they are very different in plot. One tells the story of a group of men who reunite around the death of a mutual friend and the other is about a group of strangers brought togther by death. Take a look at this for more information on these two great performances.

Two plays currently on stage in Seoul tackle themes of life and death through the stories of ordinary people.
Both plays are easy to relate to and both continue through Sunday.

The first play is author Yoon Young-sun's most famous work.
"Journey" follows a group of 50-year-old men who were childhood friends and are reunited when one of them dies.
Their discussions about their memories, their lives, work and society reveal something about their own loneliness, and force us to think about ours, too.

[Interview : Lee Sung-yul, Producer] "Through the death of a friend, these middle-aged men are forced to reflect on their lives, which is something I'm sure everyone goes through in reality".

"Journey" will be presented at the Seoul Arts Center's Jayu Theater until October 7th.

The play "Get into the Moonlight" also revolves around the themes of life and death.
It tells the story of a man who goes to a temple in the mountains to escape the stress of daily life.
One day, a man comes down from the mountain carrying the body of someone who committed suicide, and a string of other people begin to appear, each with their own story about life and death.
The play is produced by the Seoul Metropolitan Theatre Company.

[Interview : Kim Chul-lee, Producer
Seoul Metropolitan Theatre Company] "The plays asks the questions: 'Have our lives gotten any better

Sounds like two great performances to see with family or friends. Could you tell us more about how the theme of life and death play out in "Get Into the Moonlight[Reporter : ] Certainly. All of the characters are of different ages and genders and each one plays a different role in society. After their encounter with the dead body, they begin to talk about their fears of death and which events in the past have made them think about dying. Through these stories, the audience will gain an understanding of the problems of the characters and the time period in which the story takes place.

Interesting. Well, the two plays seem to offer very different perspectives on life and death and how we could approach it. Both plays sound very thought-provoking indeed.
And now, what else do you have for us[Reporter : ] This next piece is about the upcoming dark comedy "The Details" which opens in the U.S. on November 2nd and stars Tobey Maguire and Elizabeth Banks. Take a look.

"The Details" is a new dark comedy starring Tobey Maguire and Elizabeth Banks as a married couple with some scary skeletons in their surburban closet.
Jeff and Nealy Lang have a seemingly idyllic life.
They've been married for ten years, have a son and live in the suburbs.
However, their lives become a bit complicated when a family of raccoons wrecks the Lang family's backyard, digging up worms and some very unexpected dirt.
As Jeff tries to get rid of the raccoons, he sets off a darkly comic series of events that includes infidelity and eventually murder.
Tobey Maguire offered his ideas about why things go so horribly wrong for Jeff Lang and his family.

[Interview : Tobey Maguire, Actor] "I think the character of Jeffrey Lang in 'The Details' is that he's basically a decent guy, but he's let life get away from him. He's not living life completely consciously, meaning, he's drifted apart from his wife, there's lots of resentment and past issues unresolved and that creates a tenor of discord under the surface that is popping up".

Ray Liotta, Laura Linney and Kerry Washington co-star.
"The Details" will open in limited run in the U.S. on November 2nd after being released as part of cable television services in the U.S. on October 5th.

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I wouldn't expect Tobey Maguire to choose a film like this, would you[Reporter : ] No, I wouldn't. To me, his "Spider-Man" character is so engrained in my head that it's really hard to see him as a different character, especially as a man with dark secrets fighting raccoons in his backyard.
But the story does have more to it than that ridiculous plot device. It is a deeper story of marriage, infidelity and darker themes, so I think it's really up to viewers to decide how they feel about it.

Sounds like a plan. Sadly, it doesn't seem like it will make it to Korea, but it sounds like our viewers in the U.S. will have a couple of opportunities to see it. And now, to wrap things up, you have the events bulletin for us[Reporter : ] Yes, I do. The pianist Yiruma will be performing this Saturday at the Sungnam Arts Center. The following weekend, some of the country's best hip-hop artists will battle it out at Ye Hall in Apgujeong, and lastly in December, pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto brings his talents to Korea.

[Reporter : ed: jenny] This bulletin features 3 events

The pianist Yiruma will entertain listeners with his delicate melodies at a concert celebrating his 10th anniversary and the beginning of the next era in his musical career. The concert will be held at the Sungnam Arts Center on October 6th.

Some of Korea's best hip-hop artists battle it out in a show called "Boxer Show 4" at Ye Hall in Apgujeong on October 13th. Produced by freestyle rap legends ___ and ____, the show will feature rap, beat-boxing, b-boy dancing and a freestyle battle.

Japanese pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto will be performing with violinist Judy Kang and cellist Jaques Morelenbaum at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on December 9th. Sakamoto is perhaps best known for his Grammy and Oscar winning score for the film "The Last Emperor".

Thank you for the update

[Reporter : ] My pleasure