Third Appearance in the 10th Anniversary Production of "Phantom"
"A Vicarious Experience of the Stage I Dreamed of as an Opera Singer"
Musical actor Kai has maintained his position at the top for well over a decade, appearing in numerous masterpieces. Yet even for him, "Phantom" holds a particularly special significance. This is because the spatial setting of "Phantom" is the Paris Opera House. Alongside La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera in Austria, and the Royal Opera House in London, the Paris Opera House is one of Europe's most historic and iconic opera theaters.
On June 12, during a round interview held at the headquarters of EMK Musical Company, the producer of "Phantom," Kai said, "It has been more than twenty years, but back then I always dreamed of standing on the stage of the Paris Opera Garnier (Paris Opera House) as an opera singer." He added, "Phantom is a meaningful work for me because it gives me such a special experience."
Kai, who graduated from the vocal music department at Seoul National University, originally dreamed of becoming an opera singer, not a musical actor, and the Paris Opera House, along with La Scala, was one of his long-cherished dream stages. The protagonist of "Phantom," played by Kai, is a character who wears a mask due to his disfigured face and lives like a ghost hiding in the underground of the Paris Opera House.
"As someone who has loved and studied classical singing for a long time, it feels as if I am inside the dream I imagined as a child. It was my dream to perform opera in a dedicated European opera theater with a history of several hundred years, and I find it fascinating that, even if only indirectly, I can stand on such a dream stage through the musical 'Phantom.'"
"Phantom" had its Korean premiere in 2015. Subsequent performances were held in 2016, 2018, and 2021, and the fifth season opened at the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on May 31 this year. The show will run until August 11. Kai was the lead actor in the premiere production, and following his appearance in 2021, this year marks his third time personally taking the stage as the Phantom.
Kai still loves opera. However, for now, musicals take priority.
"Because I am an opera enthusiast, I actually believe opera is not a field one can pursue with willpower alone. Opera and musicals are completely different realms. Rather than wanting to stand on the opera stage, I would like to remain an enthusiast who supports and reveres that stage."
These days, he describes himself as a "myudeok" (musical fanatic) and lives immersed in musicals. Not long ago, he traveled to Japan to see "Love Never Dies," a work by world-renowned musical composer and producer Andrew Lloyd Webber. "Love Never Dies" is known as a sequel to Lloyd Webber's iconic "The Phantom of the Opera." Although "The Phantom of the Opera" and the "Phantom" in which Kai is currently starring are produced by different creators, both are based on the 1910 novel "The Phantom of the Opera" by French novelist Gaston Leroux.
Kai said, "Love Never Dies has not yet been performed in Korea, and it does not seem likely to be staged here anytime soon. As a musical fanatic, I thought it was well worth traveling to Japan to see it, so I went there to watch 'Love Never Dies' as a kind of musical pilgrimage."
Kai cited the classical purity of "Phantom" as its main appeal.
"The pure love expressed in a very traditional artistic form is captivating. Some people call it classic, but 'Phantom' has its own unique classical charm. These days, a lot of content deals with love that develops at a very fast pace, so perhaps that's why a slowly unfolding romance feels even fresher and more novel."
In 2023 and last year, he appeared in the plays "The Last Session" and "Waiting for Godot While Waiting." It was his first time on the play stage since "Red" in 2015. This experience allowed him to broaden and deepen his perspective as an actor.
"Musicals like 'Phantom' can be somewhat restrictive for an actor because you have to match your lines with the music. Rather than natural conversational acting, it can sometimes come across as a bit unnatural or unrealistic, to put it bluntly. It's unavoidable, and even in such circumstances, drawing out as much naturalness as possible is the skill of a musical actor. In plays, where there is no music, you can pursue the naturalness inherent in language. That is why performing in plays has been a great help in studying and thinking about acting. After performing in plays and returning to musicals, I believe my perspective on acting has at least advanced a step further."
Kai made his musical debut in 2007 with "Love in the Rain." After a considerable hiatus, he began his full-fledged career as a musical actor with his second work, "The Story of My Life," in 2011. Since then, he has established himself as one of Korea's leading musical actors, starring in productions such as "Dracula," "Marie Antoinette," "Rebecca," "Monte Cristo," "Jekyll & Hyde," and "Frankenstein." For the past decade or so, he has appeared almost exclusively in large-scale musicals. Kai shared that he would like to try performing in small theater musicals, which are closer to plays, for a change.
"In small theater productions, the number of cast members and the stage space are different from those of large theaters, so the relationships between characters are more organic and the narrative is denser. I think there is more that an actor can express on stage compared to large theaters. Having performed in plays for the past two years, my curiosity about this aspect has grown even stronger. If given the opportunity, I would like to return to the small theater stage."
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