[On Stage] 'Theater Comeback' Hwang Jeong-min "Macbeth is a character who becomes president from district mayor"

Hwang Jung-min Returns to Theater After 2 Years... 'Macbeth' Opens in July
"Theater Is an Actor's Art... Different from Film and Drama"
Kim So-jin as 'Lady Macbeth' · Song Il-guk as 'Banquo'

"Macbeth can be simply described as a district mayor who becomes the president."

Actor Hwang Jung-min explained his role as Macbeth at the press conference for the play 'Macbeth' held at the National Theater on the 10th. His explanation drew attention because last year he played Jeon Doo-kwang, a security commander who becomes president, in director Kim Sung-soo's film 'Spring in Seoul.' Kim Sung-soo's previous work was 'Asura' in 2016, in which Hwang Jung-min played Park Sung-bae, the mayor of the fictional city of Annam-si.

Both Jeon Doo-kwang and Park Sung-bae are characters who reveal a strong desire for power. Macbeth is no different. Macbeth, the lord of Glamis in Scotland, hears a prophecy that he will become the future king of Scotland, and he becomes consumed by desire, leading to his downfall.

Hwang Jung-min described him as "a character heading toward the end of desire," adding, "At the moment before death, he sees the end of his greed and looks back, wondering 'Why did I come this far?'"

Actors appearing in the play "Macbeth," opening this July at the National Theater's Haeoreum Theater. From the left, Song Il-guk as Banquo, Kim So-jin as Lady Macbeth, and Hwang Jung-min as Macbeth.
Photo by Sam Company

Following his role as Jeon Doo-kwang last year, he must once again express intense greed. He has continuously portrayed characters with desires, and this time as Macbeth, he must show a different kind of desire, making it increasingly difficult the more he performs. He also mentioned that carrying the lead role continuously is a significant burden. However, he emphasized that the happiness brought by the stage of theater is immense and that it itself is healing.

"Theater is the art of the actor. Drama or film is closer to the art of the director rather than the actor. This is because from the moment the curtain rises until the curtain call, whether it is two or three hours, the space is where actors come together and meet the audience. The important thing is that when I do theater, it is a healing time for me personally and a very happy time. Of course, filming movies is also enjoyable, but it feels different. When doing theater, I can fully experience the happiness of being an actor and communicate with the audience. Those pleasant feelings help reduce some of the burden."

Hwang Jung-min made a similar remark when he appeared in the play 'Oedipus' in 2019. At that time, he said, "I feel the most freedom on stage. Movies are good, but I prefer theater. I will try to be on stage at least once a year."

'Macbeth' will open at the National Theater's Haeoreum Theater on July 13 and run until August 18. Alongside Hwang Jung-min, Kim So-jin will play Lady Macbeth, who fuels Macbeth's desire by urging him to kill King Duncan of Scotland, and Song Il-gook will appear as Banquo, Macbeth's colleague and friend who is killed by Macbeth. The production is directed by Yang Jeong-ung, the artistic director of the theater company 'Traveler,' who was the general director of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony and the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, and who directed the play 'Faust' at LG Arts Center last year. Yang Jeong-ung directed 'Hwan,' an adaptation of Macbeth, at LG Arts Center in 2004, and this will be his return to Macbeth after 20 years.

Director Yang Jeong-ung said, "In 2004, I attempted a personal reinterpretation with an Eastern perspective, but this time, I plan to create a production closer to the original flavor of Shakespeare's work, combined with modern mise-en-sc?ne."

Yang Jeong-ung described Macbeth as a work full of charm. "Although it has elements of a melodrama, such as murdering the king to seize the throne?actually, all of Shakespeare's works are somewhat melodramatic?it is a work that succinctly and excellently expresses how humans struggle with the loss, guilt, and conscience felt at the end of desire as they rush toward it."

Hwang Jung-min said Macbeth is a work with many condensed meanings, making it a piece he definitely wanted to perform.

"Shakespeare's plays usually take about three and a half to four hours to perform, but Macbeth is two hours. That means it is very condensed. In other words, when Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, his writing was very sharp. Because so much meaning is packed into it, there is a lot to study. That's why I always wanted to try Macbeth at least once."

Hwang Jung-min has continued performing classic works on stage, including Shakespeare's 'Richard III' in 2018 and 2022, and Sophocles' 'Oedipus' in 2019.

"I grew up watching seniors perform classic plays and studied through them, so I know the basics and understand how great classics are. Of course, I will also do contemporary plays, but for now, I want to keep doing classics."