Musical 'Aloha, My Moms'
Based on the novel depicting the persecuted first-generation Hawaiian immigrants
Joyfully presents women pioneering independent lives
Focuses also on 'love' among three characters, complementing male roles
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] "Beodeul Aegissi, you’ll be eighteen next year, right? Won’t you marry to Po-wa-ro (Hawaii)?"
In 1917, Beodeul, who lives in the small village of Eojinmal in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, along with her friends Hongju and Songhwa, the shaman’s daughter, decide to bet their lives on a single photograph and marry to Po-wa (Hawaii). The novel "Aloha, My Mothers," which depicts the lives of three first-generation female immigrants who ventured to a foreign land 100 years ago and pioneered their own lives, has returned as a musical. The Seoul Metropolitan Musical Group at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is performing the musical "Aloha, My Mothers" until December 11.
The lives of people 100 years ago and those living today are not much different. Many people take reckless challenges for a better future and gain the courage to live life through experiencing failure. "Aloha, My Mothers" does not portray the history of that time as merely painful. The three girls struggle with the pain of persecution and exploitation in a foreign country, but they do not yield and instead pioneer their own independent and healthy lives.
Beodeul, Hongju, and Songhwa arrive in unfamiliar Hawaii clutching only a single black-and-white photograph and face difficulties from the very first day. Beodeul’s husband Taewan, who was said to be a landlord owning dozens of fields, is actually a tenant farmer, and Songhwa’s husband is drunk every day and violent. Although they did not fully believe the words that shoes and clothes would hang from trees and money would be raked in, hope was shattered before the harsh reality. Nevertheless, the friendship among the three girls grows even stronger. Their story of enduring harsh times with strong vitality leads to maternal love toward Beodeul’s daughter Pearl (Jinju), evoking the meaning of "my mothers" in the title.
Kim Deokhee, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Musical Group, said at a press call held on the 22nd at Sejong Center M Theater, "This work centered on three women is the story of all mothers who made us who we are today," adding, "The three girls become mothers through hardship, grow, unite, and overcome various adversities as Korean immigrants. It is a work depicting the solidarity of women."
How will the journey from Joseon to Kobe and then to Hawaii be represented on stage? Director Lee Daewoong confessed that expressing those spaces was a challenge. He said, "I was most concerned about the rapidly progressing spatiality and the temporality structured like a frame. In Act 1, we build the story of the three girls, and in Act 2, we compose a magnificent wave-riding of life to clearly show the growth of the three women."
While the original novel focuses on the protagonist Beodeul, the work also pays attention to the narratives of her friends Hongju and Songhwa. Writer Oh Miyoung explained, "I wanted to highlight the stories of Songhwa and Hongju, friends of Beodeul, to focus on the solidarity of the three girls."
The work presents the stories of the girls who lived their own lives in a more lively and cheerful way. To this end, the writer supplemented the male characters. Oh said, "Since the original was written based on historical verification, there were not many attractive male characters. I made Beodeul’s husband Taewan a romantic character and created Junhyuk, who did not exist in the original, as a character who shares a passionate love with Songhwa."
Hong Jihee and Lee Hyeran, who play the protagonist Beodeul, said they pondered how a dream-filled girl grows by overcoming adversity in a strange land. Lee Hyeran said, "Beodeul in the original and the musical are not very different. Although she is an 18-year-old girl, I tried to express Beodeul as a responsible person with maturity and strength." Hong Jihee also said, "I am working hard to show the audience how a dream-filled girl grows and changes through various incidents in the unfamiliar land of Hawaii."
Actors Hong Ji-hee, Lim Ji-young, and Jung Eun-young from the musical 'Aloha, My Moms'. Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
Jung Eunyoung and Lee Sujeong play Beodeul’s friend Hongju, and Lim Jiyoung and Joo Daon play Songhwa. Park Youngsoo and Heo Doyoung appear as Taewan, Beodeul’s husband and a secret agent for Korean independence. Jung Donghwa and Kim Beomjun are cast as Junhyuk, a character not in the original who shares a passionate love with Songhwa.
The story depicting the friendship and lives of the three girls, "Aloha, My Mothers," still offers courage and emotion on stage to young people living in today’s era. The performance runs until December 11 at Sejong Center M Theater in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
