[On Stage] 'Werther' Kim Ye-won "The 'Lotte' That Was Hard to Express, Now I Hope It Supports Me..."

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Actress Kim Ye-won repeatedly said, "I felt a lot of shortcomings." As a reporter who requested an interview impressed by her portrayal of 'Lotte' in the musical Werther, I was somewhat taken aback. From her very first words, she said, "It's embarrassing if you say you've seen the performance. I still feel I have a lot to improve, and I wonder if the Lotte I portray truly reached the hearts of the audience..." Looking back, the interview with Kim Ye-won was a process of finding out why she continuously feels inadequate.

After finishing JTBC's Welcome to Waikiki 2 last year, Kim Ye-won took a year off. She traveled to France and the United States and learned English and painting. It was the longest break since her debut in 2008. Kim Ye-won said, "I have been working continuously since my debut."

After 13 years of relentlessly filling her schedule, she chose a comeback work after taking a year off. Werther is also the first musical Kim Ye-won has appeared in after four years since Jack the Ripper in 2017. The significance of Werther must have been special.

"On TV and in films, I often played roles with strong colors and distinct personalities. During my long break, I thought a lot about trying new roles. Just as that thought deepened, I received an audition offer for Werther. It felt like 'Lotte has come to me.'"

Kim Ye-won [Photo by Artst Company]

The original work of Werther is the novel The Sorrows of Young Werther, written by the great German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749?1832) in just 14 weeks when he was 25 years old. It is also famous for the "Werther effect." Werther, who loved Lotte so much?who was married to another man (Albert)?that he ended his life by suicide. It is a passionate love story of a man.

Kim Ye-won said Werther shows a texture rarely found in other musicals. "It is a work with a classical feel. It does not emphasize the flashy, showy parts that usually come to mind when thinking of musicals, which deliver energy through explosive numbers. However, it is a work that, while not flashy, carries a weighty presence. The strength of the characters and the story becomes the strength of the work itself. In such a work, I wanted to express the truly profound emotions a woman carries. It was significant to me because it is not a work one can easily encounter. Since it is a work that can express deep emotions, Werther felt more special. I thought I should create it as close as possible to the answer I imagined and show it to the audience. But it was hard to be confident."

Since it is a passionate love story, the emotional range the protagonists must express is vast. "The word 'completion' felt especially distant in this work. Throughout the rehearsal period, I kept thinking, 'Ah! Now I am somewhat close,' and then 'Ah! Not yet, still not there,' repeatedly. It felt very difficult. Expressing the emotional line in acting was hard, and the numbers themselves required high vocal ranges I had never encountered before, and mastering the classical singing style was also very unfamiliar. I thought it was very challenging."

Therefore, the audience's comment that "Now I understand Lotte" was the most encouraging. "I wondered if I deserved to hear such a comment, but it was the most empowering comment of all. I thought the biggest task was to persuade the audience and let them feel something rich about Lotte's emotions. When they said they understood parts of Lotte they hadn't before, I was deeply moved and grateful. It felt like I had acted as a Lotte who reached the audience's hearts without being wrong, so I was thankful."

A performance scene of Kim Ye-won playing 'Lotte' in the musical 'Werther'.
Photo by CJ ENM

Kim Ye-won tried hard to highlight Lotte's pure and innocent side to persuade the audience. Lotte is a woman caught in great conflict between Albert and Werther. To avoid appearing as a bad woman walking a tightrope between two men, it was necessary to show that Lotte is naturally kind to everyone. In fact, Lotte's innocence is well revealed in her first meeting with Werther in the play. Lotte casually offers her umbrella to Werther, who is getting wet in the rain, and smiles brightly.

"When acting as Lotte, I tried to relate her to a child a lot. I thought if I could show that Lotte's kindness, consideration for others, and innocence stem from a truly pure heart rather than intention, the audience could fully understand her. By expressing Lotte this way, the contrast between Lotte in Act 1 and Act 2 could be significant, and her mature transformation after marriage in Act 2 could be more visible."

This work marks the beginning of refilling after emptying the time she had densely filled as an actress for 13 years. Perhaps the reason Kim Ye-won said she felt many shortcomings was rather because of her desire to fill in many things again.

Kim Ye-won hesitated for quite some time after saying, "I felt a lot of shortcomings while doing Werther." After much contemplation about whether to speak or not, she spoke quite calmly, contrary to her hesitation when saying, "I wondered if I could ever perform on stage again." She added, "In a way, this might be a concern that comes from developing a greater love for the stage."

A performance scene of Kim Ye-won playing 'Lotte' in the musical 'Werther'.
Photo by CJ ENM

Kim Ye-won made her musical debut in 2010 with Like Rain, Like Music. She won the 2015 DIMF (Daegu International Musical Festival) Rookie of the Year Award for All Shook Up in 2014. With 13 years of acting experience, a calm and stable voice that earned her this year's Radio DJ Award, singing skills showcased on MBC's King of Mask Singer, and four and a half years of dance training before an injury in her second year of high school, she is also adept at expressing music through her body. She seems to have even more charm to show as a musical actress.

Regarding why she had not been on stage for the past four years, Kim Ye-won said it was simply because the right opportunities did not come her way. "I always wanted to perform on stage if a good opportunity came. Last year, there were talks about projects, but they did not materialize. I have always found performing on stage very interesting. If there is a good work, I want to be on stage. When that time comes, I hope I can muster the courage myself."

She named Chicago and Jekyll & Hyde as works she wants to appear in. She said Jekyll & Hyde was the first musical that shocked her when she saw it and that she wants to try both the roles of Emma and Lucy. "I think both characters are attractive, but the role that suits me better now might be Emma. I actually lack a lot of energy. I want to work harder and develop so I can express energy in roles. I also want to try energetic works with strong red colors like Chicago."

When asked if she had any final words, she said, "I hope the character Lotte remains within me for a long time?not erased, though it may become faint, but never disappearing. I hope she will be a character that supports me no matter what roles I play in the future, and I think she will be."