In 1976, the musical “1976 Harlan County” which tells the true story of miners who fought against unfair treatment by mining companies in Harlan County, the U.S., opened. At the press call held on June 3rd, the cast including Oh Jong-hyuk, Lee Hong-ki, and Sandeul agreed that this work was “a performance that I really wanted to do” and “the more I attach myself to it”.
“1976 Harlan County” is a creative musical created by Yoo Byung-eun, composer Kang Jin-myung and choreographer Hong Yoo-sun, taking the motif from “Harlan County USA” which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary. The true story of the Harlan County coal mine town, the subject of the work, is also considered a milestone in the U.S. labor movement. The performance premiered in Busan and Seoul in 2019, and this is the second season.
At the press call, the entire cast of “1976 Harlan County” showed the main scene of the work for about 50 minutes. The play takes place in 1976, 100 years after the abolition of American slavery, in a mining village in the south-central United States, when miners tired of the tyranny of the company meet Daniel, the main character. Daniel was leaving his hometown for New York with Riley, a black man who took care of him on behalf of his parents. Daniel, who became associated with Harlan County miners by chance, joined the miners’ struggles and grew up together.
The stage is simpler than any other large theater musical, but the video that embodies the interior of the mine in three dimensions and the music that contains the passionate solidarity of the workers delivers a deep echo. The narratives of the characters are also solid, including Riley, a deaf black man with a warm humanity than anyone else, and his colleagues who are criticized as a traitor but try to save the mine.
The actors shared their impressions of appearing at the press conference that followed the demonstration. Oh Jong-hyuk, who played Daniel, who saw the performance last season, said, “It was very impressive to see all the miners voicing their desire to live like human beings, and it touched my heart. I also wanted to be on the same stage with those great people, but thank you for the opportunity.”
Lee Hongki, who chose ‘1976 Harlan County’ as his first work after being discharged from the military, said, “When I came back to society, I chose this work because I wanted to continue to grow in acting and other areas. I really wanted to be on stage and I wanted to feel that I was alive.”
He continued, “When I first received the script, I was drawn to Daniel’s growing story, the overall number, and the atmosphere, but the more I perform, the more emotions I get. This is how people meet, communicate, and help each other live like this is close to the way I want to live, and it makes me want to live and think like that in the future.”
Sandeul, who plays the role of Daniel along with Jonghyuk Oh and Hongki Lee, said that he felt a lot of Daniel growing up in the play. Sandeul said, “After 10 years of debut, I met this work when I had a lot of worries and thoughts. I was moved by the way Daniel continues to grow up justly.”
Chan-min Lim and Lee Sang-ah, who played the role of Elena, who continued to fight in the footsteps of their father, who was the union leader, also expressed their feelings. Lim Chan-min said, “Like all other characters, Elena loses the things she loves one by one and grows as she accepts new things. I wanted to portray that (growing) part well,” and Lee Sang-ah said, “I wanted to express a miner who sympathizes with the happiness and pain of my colleagues.”
The character that forms another axis of the play is a traitor who fights against his colleagues by joining the company. Lim Byung-geun, who referred to this person as a “lonely villain” said, “Bajil was also a person who fought for the rights of miners, but he foolishly accepted the company’s proposal and took a different path from his colleagues. While practicing, I thought, ‘Didn’t Bajil really doubt (the management’s suggestion)?’ and we bumped into each other a lot, but first, I thought that his beliefs were right and he was a person who pushed like a runaway locomotive.”
Kim Ji-cheol, who plays the role of a bastard with Lim Byung-geun, said, “Rather than intentionally trying to show a certain intention, I tried to naturally express what the bastard feels and thinks in each situation.”
Riley John fighting to the end for the mining union, his wife Natalie who cares for him, Tony Boyle, the president of the mining company, and his right-hand man, Patterson, all have distinct personalities. ‘1976 Harlan County’ will be held at the Chungmu Art Center Grand Theater until July 4th, featuring Kim Ryun-ho and Ahn Se-ha as Riley, Lee Kun-myung and Kim Hyung-kyun as John, Kim Ah-seon as Natalie, Kang Seong-jin and Kim Sang-hyun as Patterson, and Hwang I-gun as Tony Boyle. continues from
Source: Playdb
Trans/Shared by: Musical in Life
Musical in Life 