Musical 'Dasi, Bom' Interview with Actors Moon Hee-kyung, Kim Hyun-jin, and Koo Hye-ryung
Average Age 54, Combined Acting Experience 425 Years: Challenges of Middle-Aged Actresses
A Work Depicting Seven Women Choosing a Life of New Beginnings, Not Decline
"A Rainfall in a Drought of Female Roles, More Narratives for Middle-Aged Women Needed"
The musical “Dasi, Bom” (Again, Spring), which tells the honest story of a middle-aged woman who has lived as a daughter, wife, and mother while forgetting her own dreams, is returning. In this revival, actors Moon Hee-kyung, Kim Hyun-jin, and Koo Hye-ryung will join to deliver a vibrant stage performance. Coincidentally, the three actors previously worked together on the musical “Menopause”, which also candidly portrays the stories of middle-aged women, making this project particularly meaningful to them.
Although both musicals focus on middle-aged women, “Menopause” and “Dasi, Bom” are distinctly different works. In an interview with Asia Economy on the 10th, actor Moon Hee-kyung explained, “Menopause is an overseas licensed musical composed of well-known songs, whereas Dasi, Bom is a piece created through devising theatre?a collaborative creation method where performers actively participate in structuring the play?depicting the lives and experiences of Korean middle-aged women.” She added, “While Menopause had four main characters, Dasi, Bom features seven characters with more diverse stories.” She took on the challenge because the work has potential as an original musical and expressed hope that, like Menopause, Dasi, Bom will be performed annually and continue to improve in quality.
A Warm Second Act of Life Portrayed by Seven Actors, We Are the 'Rainbow' That Cannot Lose a Single Member
Actor Kim Hyun-jin highlighted the heartwarming music as a key attraction. She confessed, “Every rehearsal, singing the lyrics and melodies that warm the heart brings me comfort.” The music for Dasi, Bom was composed by Yeon Ri-mok, who also worked on films such as Eungyo, Yoo Yeol’s Music Album, and Silence. Kim said, “The lyrical and deeply immersive musical atmosphere feels like comfort and encouragement that women can bloom again.”
With seven middle-aged women leading the play, the stage of Dasi, Bom is bustling throughout. Actor Koo Hye-ryung introduced, “Seven diverse characters appear, and the bonds in the story extend into rehearsals, where the actors encourage and support each other as they create the production.” When Kim mentioned that it’s more important for all seven to perform well rather than just one, she added, “During today’s rehearsal, I ad-libbed a line suggesting we call ourselves the ‘Rainbow Choir’ because there are seven of us, and the response was great. Just like a rainbow cannot exist without all its colors, each of our unique colors and roles come together to complete the whole, making us truly feel like the ‘Rainbow Choir.’”
The anchor of the rehearsal team is the senior “Hee-kyung unnie.” She arrives first at the rehearsal room every day to greet the juniors. Moon said, “It’s been a while since I’ve been on a musical stage, but seeing the juniors in the rehearsal room reminds me of my past self, so I try to be considerate, comforting, and lead by example.” She laughed, “Honestly, singing requires more practice than talent, so it’s something that needs to be done intensely.”
Kim Hyun-jin, a mother of two in real life, plays an unmarried woman in the play, while Koo Hye-ryung, who is single, portrays a full-time housewife, making their new challenges amusing. Kim said, “My character, Yeon-mi, is a lonely woman who hopes to meet a good partner in her second act of life, but I couldn’t quite understand her difficulty with free time. When I was raising two kids, I longed for free time, so I talked a lot with Koo Hye-ryung to understand Yeon-mi’s loneliness during solitary moments.” Koo added, “I also couldn’t understand Kyung-ah’s character, who goes straight to work as soon as she gets home, so I asked Hyun-jin unnie. She explained that after going out and coming home, Kyung-ah can’t just lie down but has to start working immediately, giving me guidance on everyday acting. Although Kyung-ah is devoted to her family and truly loves her children, she feels hurt by her family’s expectation of this, and I gradually understood and immersed myself in the role.”
Moon Hee-kyung plays Jin-sook, a top announcer who has held her position for 30 years. She said, “Jin-sook appears to be a successful career woman with both work and family, but she gradually yields her position to younger colleagues and cannot help but accept the passing of time. I found myself in her character.” She confessed, “I always try to show different acting tones and new sides of myself, and through Jin-sook, I want to portray the pain of life and the will to overcome it.”
A Creative Musical Like Rain After a Drought for Female Roles, More Middle-Aged Women’s Stories Needed
The three actresses agreed that works portraying women’s lives are “too rare” and that roles for middle-aged actresses are severely lacking. Moon said, “It’s hard for us to find roles. There are many dramas, but in movies, plays, and musicals, roles for our age group are limited.” She emphasized, “What makes Dasi, Bom precious is that the roles of menopausal women in their 40s to 60s are played by actors of the same age.” Koo said, “I teach students at a university, and when discussing performance works at the beginning of the semester, there are many good works, but female roles are scarce, making it difficult to guide students in a 5:5 gender ratio. Even masterpieces have 70-80% male roles, so in this reality where female roles are practically nonexistent, I hope more works like Dasi, Bom are developed and improved, and that more female creators produce stories about women.” In fact, Dasi, Bom has attracted attention from the production stage as most of the creative team?including director Lee Ki-ppeum, scriptwriter and lyricist Kim Sol-ji, composer Yeon Ri-mok, and music director Kim Gil-ryeo?are women.
The work has drawn family empathy through women’s stories. Kim said, “When I practice at home reading the script, my daughter approaches me first, looks over the lines and songs, and even sings along, showing empathy.” She added, “Like the title Dasi, Bom (Again, Spring), which symbolizes blooming a second life and moving beyond menopause, I hope each audience member will be inspired to take on new challenges in life.” Koo, who saw the play during its premiere last year, confessed she cried a lot after the performance. “Although I am a middle-aged woman, through the play I faced the thoughts and feelings of my friends and peers,” she said. “From my mother’s story to those of my friends, issues like menopause, family relationships, retirement, and financial worries felt like my own story. At first, I enjoyed it with fun and laughter, but by the latter part, I felt a touching emotion piercing my heart.”
Musical 'Again, Spring' poster. This performance attracts attention by offering shows at 11 AM and 3 PM specifically for middle-aged female audiences. [Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts]
Perhaps because the emotion was so profound, Dasi, Bom, which returned to the stage five months after its premiere in October last year, continues to receive enthusiastic responses from audiences in their 40s and 50s. According to the ticket reservation site Interpark on the 10th, the age distribution of ticket buyers for Dasi, Bom shows that 58.5% are in their 40s and 50s, while 29.9% are in their 20s and 30s?almost double.
With an average age of 54 and a combined acting career of 425 years, veteran middle-aged actresses who had been away from the spotlight fill the stage, delivering a message of hope. The eldest sister, Moon, who is returning to the stage after a long time in broadcasting, also expressed her wish for this work to become a repertoire that stays with audiences for a long time. “I hope this original musical becomes a good role model and a coveted work that other actresses aspire to join, so it can meet audiences every year with even more development.” The performances will run from the 15th to the 1st of next month at the Sejong Center S Theater.
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