[Manbo Jeongdam] "Nanta, hoping to last long like the 70-year 'Jwideop' rather than the 35-year 'The Phantom of the Opera'"

Interview with Song Seung-hwan, CEO of PMC Production, Producer of 'Nanta'
Grew up playing in Daehangno playground... Likes walking with a clear mind
"Like walking a quiet path... I want to finish as a non-speaking actor"

On the 16th of last month (local time), the longest-running musical on Broadway, The Phantom of the Opera, came to an end. It had been about 35 years and 3 months since its premiere on January 26, 1988 (including the COVID-19 hiatus).

In Korea, the representative long-running show is Nanta. Since its premiere at Hoam Art Hall in October 1997, it has been running for over 26 years. On the 19th, I met Song Seung-hwan, the producer of Nanta and CEO of PMC Production (age 66), in Daehangno. Regarding the closing of The Phantom of the Opera, Song said, "In London's West End, Agatha Christie's (1890?1976) play The Mousetrap has been running for over 70 years." I felt a bit embarrassed. The Mousetrap premiered on November 25, 1952. Since moving to the St Martin's Theatre on March 23, 1974, it has been performed continuously at the same theater for 50 years.

Song has lived a life like an actor, fulfilling various roles such as actor, producer, and professor on the stage of life. He said he had been running around too busily and now wants to put aside miscellaneous tasks and walk slowly as an actor. However, he hopes that Nanta will continue even longer than himself.

Walking to Busan Instead of the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage in Spain

We walked together along the Daehangno street where Song often takes a walk after lunch. It was from his office to his favorite cafe.

He graduated from Boseong Middle School and grew up treating Daehangno as his playground. Although Boseong Middle School has now moved to Songpa-gu, during Song’s school days it was located at the Hyehwa-dong rotary. "There used to be a stream flowing to Cheonggyecheon under these pavement blocks we are walking on now. After school in middle school, I have memories of playing in that stream and walking toward Jongno. Back then, the sidewalks were narrow and the stream was wide. Seoul National University’s College of Liberal Arts was in Hyehwa-dong at that time, and the students called the stream the 'Hyehwa-dong Seine River.'"

Song said, "I like walking." "At one point, I dreamed of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route in Spain, which is famous for being about 800 km long. It was when I was hosting MBC Radio’s Women’s Era. Seo Myeong-sook (currently chairman of Jeju Olle), who created the Jeju Olle Trail, was a guest and talked about Santiago for several days. I really wanted to go."

Song hosted Women’s Era from March 2004 to March 2007 for a full three years. Right after finishing the show, he planned to go to Santiago. However, he had to give up because his father’s health became critical.

"I bought a backpack and prepared everything, but it became difficult to leave Korea. Since I couldn’t go to Santiago, I thought, why not walk from Seoul to Busan? I bought a book at Kyobo Bookstore that selected 100 beautiful trails in Korea. Following that book, I traveled around the country through Gangwon-do, Chungcheong-do, Jeolla-do, and Gyeongsang-do, and arrived in Busan in about 40 days. I walked a lot."

Song Seunghwan, CEO of PMC Production, is walking around Daehakro in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 19th. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

What was he thinking while walking to Busan? Song talked about a state of no thoughts. "At first, I thought I would organize my life once, but after walking for five days, blisters started to form on my feet and I stopped thinking about anything. I just thought about how to deal with these blisters, how to climb the hills when they came, whether to walk in the afternoon or not... It was summer and the weather was very hot. Later, it felt like my feet were moving on their own without my will. But it was good. Just walking with no thoughts."

Song still walks. "I used to be nocturnal, but that changed as I got older. These days, I fall asleep at 10 p.m. and wake up around 5 a.m. My wife wakes up at 8 or 9, so from 5 a.m. I have one to three hours alone at home. Sometimes I read books or watch movies, but sometimes I walk in Yeouido Park. It takes an hour to walk around the park. I put on earphones, listen to music, and just walk without any thoughts. I just look at the sky and trees, and that’s nice."

For the 60th Anniversary of Debut, Salieri

Song originally planned to appear in the play Amadeus, which was performed at Sejong Center’s M Theater from February to April this year. However, he gave up the role because it overlapped with filming the KBS drama Three Bold Siblings until the end of March. "The drama ended just as Amadeus was starting, so it was physically tough. So I talked with the production company to do Amadeus the year after next. 2025 will be my 60th debut anniversary, so I thought it would be meaningful to play the role I wanted."

The role Song wants to play in Amadeus is Salieri, a figure often compared to Mozart in various films and plays.

Amadeus is a play by British playwright Peter Shaffer (1926?2016), first published in 1979. It focuses on Antonio Salieri (1750?1825) and tells the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756?1791). Song has performed in Amadeus twice, both times as Mozart.

"Every time I played Mozart, I thought I really wanted to try Salieri. Among Shaffer’s works, Equus made me famous. In Equus, I played the protagonist Alan in my 20s and the psychiatrist Dysart in my 50s. In Equus, I played both the young and old protagonists. Since I played the young protagonist in Amadeus, I want to finish by playing the old protagonist as well."

Song said he has become more interested in older roles as he ages, adding, "The good thing about being an actor is that you can play old roles even as you get older." He recently enjoyed the movie The Good Liar starring Ian McKellen (age 84). "It’s fun when actors play characters different from themselves. McKellen plays a con artist. I thought it would be fun to make The Good Liar into a play, so I am inquiring about copyright with the original author through a publisher."

However, Song said that going forward, as a producer, he would like to focus on acting and only produce one small theater play if the opportunity arises. He said he got tired of the risks involved in producing during COVID-19 and that his worsening eyesight makes producing difficult. His vision has rapidly deteriorated since 2018. Currently, to watch dramas he appears in, he has to hold his iPad 20 to 30 cm very close to his eyes. Beyond that distance, the screen becomes blurry as if fogged, making it hard to see clearly.

"As an actor, I can overcome vision problems by syncing with co-actors. But producing requires closely inspecting a large stage as meticulously as directing. Also, you have to meet many people, which is difficult because of my eyesight."

Among the many works he has appeared in, Song cited The Glass Menagerie as a memorable one. The Glass Menagerie is a play by American playwright Tennessee Williams (1911?1983), first published in 1944. It depicts the daily life of an American family after the Great Depression (1929?1933). The narrator, youngest son Tom, dreams of becoming a writer but works at a shoe factory due to his responsibility to support the family. Tom constantly wants to leave his family.

"I liked the role of Tom and performed The Glass Menagerie three times. When you are young, you have rebelliousness?against your family, against your mother, and a desire to leave home and go somewhere else. That psychology is well reflected in Tom’s role. I often thought Tom was like me."

At age 28 in 1985, Song left home abruptly like Tom and headed to the United States. His first overseas shoot in 1983 was the trigger. After finishing filming in Europe, he stopped by New York. "Back then, the gap between New York and Seoul was huge. Wow! It was like a different world. I wondered if there was such a place on Earth. After seeing New York, I strongly wanted to leave popularity and money behind and live here for a few years."

Coincidentally, just before leaving New York, he performed The Glass Menagerie. Song lived in New York for about three and a half years. "Looking back now, I think it was good. If I hadn’t been brave then, I probably never would have done it. After three and a half years, I felt I had seen enough. I wanted to act again and, having seen so much, I also wanted to create (plays)."

His time in New York was the start of his venture into production. He watched two to three performances every weekend with money earned from weekday part-time jobs. "There was a performance by director Peter Schumann that had no dialogue, only puppets and people, which was very impressive." Perhaps this subconsciously led to the production of the non-verbal performance Nanta. "I think it was in my subconscious without me realizing it."

Song Seunghwan, CEO of PMC Production, is being interviewed on the 19th in Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Nanta Still Popular... Performances Scheduled in the U.S., Japan, and Mongolia This Year

Nanta had to be suspended due to COVID-19 despite its long run. It resumed performances at the Myeongdong Nanta Theater last November after a 21-month hiatus. Song said Myeongdong is doing much better than expected. On the 18th, the seat occupancy rate for the 5 p.m. show was 76%, and for the 8 p.m. show, 68%. Of the 228 audience members at the 8 p.m. show, 174 were foreigners. The high proportion of foreign tourists is the strength that allows Nanta to continue its long run.

"Since 70?80% of the seats are filled by foreign tourists, the market continues, and Nanta has been able to run for over 20 years. Broadway is the same. Broadway shows are not only watched by New Yorkers but also by tourists from all over the U.S. and the world. The West End in the UK is the same. For long-running shows, relying only on locals is not enough. Foreign tourists need to fill more than 50% of the seats."

Nanta returned to Broadway last October after 19 years. It was invited to perform for two weeks at the New Victory Theater, where it premiered on Broadway in September 2003. This year, a two-month U.S. tour is planned, with six weeks in Minneapolis and two weeks in North Carolina. In August, it will perform in Mongolia, and in October, in Hiroshima, Japan.

Song said the overseas performances of Nanta in the second half of this year will be interesting. "I hope Nanta will have a long run like The Mousetrap. I want Nanta to continue even after I’m gone."

After leaving the cafe, we walked back to Song’s office together. On the way back, we took the "back street of Daehangno," which Song likes. "No matter how noisy Daehangno gets, this street is always quiet and nice."

Song said, "Looking back on my life, I think I have lived busily running here and there in a very complicated city. Now, I feel like I want to walk slowly on a quiet forest path."