What charm does the musical “Rebecca” have to attract domestic audiences? The two men who created the play, Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay, have revealed why.
On the Nov 18th, a press conference was held at the Shilla Hotel in Jangchung-dong, Seoul.
Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay have worked together for about 40 years to create locally loved works such as “Rebecca” “Marie Antoinette” “Elisabeth” and “Mozart!” Among them, “Rebecca” has been loved steadily since its premiere in 2013, establishing itself as a study-seller in the musical industry. The 5th season, which opened on Nov 16th, also heralded success with a solid cast lineup including Ock Joo-hyun, Shin Young-sook, Ryu Jung-han, Shin Sung-rok and Kai.
Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay visited South Korea to watch the first performance of “Rebecca” on Nov 16th and the last performance of “Marie Antoinette” on Nov 17th. “Both performances were overwhelming” Sylvester Levay said. The actors didn’t just act, but became the character itself, which made me feel like I was breathing on stage. I was happy to see works with such high artistic achievements.” he said.
What process did the two go through when they first made “Rebecca” a musical? Sylvester Levay said, “We talked about whether Rebecca is a good musical. Then, I was convinced that it would be okay to make it into a musical. It was a familiar subject because he had already read novels and watched movies. Still, I made up my mind after many processes, and while composing, I realized that there is a source of inspiration within the subject ‘Rebecca'” he said.
“I don’t think we go looking for the material when we make the work” Michael Kunze said. Sometimes the material comes to us. When you do, you come with a nice story. So is Rebecca. I think it contains a love story. It’s similar in subject matter as in other works we’ve created. I’d like to describe how a person visits me in the true inner world, and as a person’s ‘self-seeking'” he said of the part that focuses on the creation of the work.
As for why “Rebecca” is so loved in Korea, ”Rebecca” exerts a power he didn’t know about through the process of a woman saving a man from death. It is a story of a woman seeking her strength and self-respect. I think they are contemporary in that they can awaken the power of women. I think this part was delivered to the audience as a charm, too.
The outstanding performance of Korean actors was also cited as the reason for the long run. Michael Kunze said, “It’s special to convey strong feelings. I think it’s possible because Korean actors have excellent musical qualities. They express characters alive and breathing on the stage. Such an ex-actress is not easy to find in other countries. I think there are so many outstanding actors in Korea.” he said.
Their works are performed not only in Korea but also in various countries such as Japan. Existing licensed performances usually do not allow the transformation of the original. However, the two stressed that each piece needs to be modified to suit the situation in each country.
Michael Kunze said, “In the case of a replica performance, it has to be done without modification. In that case, I think the work is performed while dead. There is no life force or development. The musical is a living genre, and it has to be played out in contemporary languages because it has to meet with contemporary audiences.” he said.
He added, “So it should be modified according to the cultural sphere. I think that’s one of our strengths. I think it will be interpreted in various ways and affect our work in the reverse direction and lead to vivid work. It is important for musicals to elicit vitality.” he said.
Source: News Culture
Trans/Shared by: Musical in Life
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