[Stage Voices]Life Itself Is a Stage... Two Strikingly Similar Productions

'The First Great Show' and 'Ghost'
Musical and Play Production Onstage
Contrasting Eras, Distinct Emotional Weight

Recently, two performing arts groups under the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts staged their shows at the venue: the Seoul Municipal Musical Group's "The First Great Show" and the Seoul City Theater Company's "Ghost." The performance periods of the two productions overlapped for about two weeks, enough to make one wonder whether the Sejong Center had intentionally coordinated their schedules. Interestingly, the similarities between the two works extend beyond timing to include both theme and form.

To begin with, both productions employ the play-within-a-play format, bringing the process of creating a musical and a play onto the stage itself.

Seoul Municipal Musical Group's 'The First Great Show' Performance Scene
Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

"The First Great Show" depicts the making of Korea's very first musical. Set in a time when the very concept of a musical was unfamiliar, the story humorously follows a group of unlikely characters?such as a shaman, a trot singer, and a drummer?who come together and bumble their way through the process of putting on a show. In contrast, "Ghost" explores the confusion and scenes that unfold as a theater troupe prepares a play about the lives of the unclaimed deceased. In one scene, as the protagonist Bae Myungsun is being beaten by her alcoholic husband, an actor playing a makeup staff member appears to apply a bruise to Bae Myungsun's face, while the husband breaks character to complain to the audience that he is actually a good person and dislikes his assigned role. Director Ko Sunwoong of the Seoul City Theater Company commented that he wanted to demonstrate through the play the idea that "the world is a stage and people are actors."

Indeed, both productions strongly convey the impression that our lives themselves are a stage. "The First Great Show" is set in the 1960s, a period captured with wit and warmth, and is inspired by the 1966 Yegrin Orchestra's "Saljagi Opseoye," which is regarded as Korea's first original musical. On the other hand, "Ghost" was inspired by a series of feature articles about the unclaimed deceased that Ko Sunwoong read in a newspaper a few years ago, and it reflects the realities of contemporary Korean society in a cynical yet realistic manner. While both works are set against the backdrop of Korean society, it is striking how their conclusions, shaped by the distinct moods of their respective eras, leave completely different impressions. "The First Great Show" ends on a romantic note, as the ragtag group overcomes their struggles and unites to successfully stage their first performance. In contrast, "Ghost" concludes with the actors reluctantly finishing the play after much conflict, and the ending takes the form of a shamanic ritual to comfort the souls of the unclaimed dead.

Seoul City Theater Company 'Ghost' Performance Scene
Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

The weight of these two performances, which reflect the spirit of the 1960s and of contemporary Korean society, feels especially poignant in light of the turmoil our society has experienced over the past six months. During the recent presidential election, many questioned how it was possible that, despite South Korea having become one of the world's top ten economies, there was talk of emergency martial law. On YouTube during the election period, a speech by President Lee Jaemyung at Seongnam Sangdaewon Market in January 2022, during the 20th presidential election, gained attention. At the time, Lee Jaemyung became emotional as he explained that he had never worn a school uniform himself, which motivated him to implement a free school uniform program as mayor of Seongnam, and that all of his policies reflected both the lives of ordinary citizens and his own harsh experiences. The issue is not limited to emergency martial law. Looking back even briefly, one can find countless examples of lives that do not befit a top ten global economy.