'Shakespeare in Love' Jeong Moon-seong, Kim Seong-cheol, Kim Yu-jung, one team

The pride of the play ‘Shakespeare in Love’ is teamwork. All 22 cast members become one and form an ensemble. The teamwork they are proud of was not created overnight. This chemistry was created after laughing, sweating, and thinking together in the practice room from morning to night.

On the afternoon of the 7th, a press conference for the play 'Shakespeare in Love' was held at the CJ Towol Theater at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Producer Song Han-sam and actors Jeong Moon-seong, Lee Sang-i, Kim Seong-cheol, Jung So-min, Chae Soo-bin, Kim Yu-jung, Song Young-gyu, and Lim Hyeong-cheol attended the event.

'Shakespeare in Love' is based on the film of the same name released in 1998, and begins with the pleasant imagination that 'Romeo and Juliet' was born out of the love of the great writer William Shakespeare.

On this day, producer Song Han-sam said, "The original movie was fun. I was very interested when I heard that the work was being made into a play. I thought it was the original or a play that was the same or better than the original. So, I decided without hesitation. In our opinion, this work is about Will and “It’s Viola’s love story, but if you look at the other side, it’s a story of people chasing their dreams.”

Jeong Moon-seong, Lee Sang-i, and Kim Seong-cheol play Will Shakespeare, a new writer who wants to regain lost artistic inspiration and talent through the muse in 16th-century London. Jeong Moon-seong smiled and said, "I really enjoyed the movie and read the script. I was excited to be doing a good play for the first time in a long time. I worked hard throughout the practice. I'm having fun performing as well. I'm happy and grateful."

Jeong Moon-seong said, "It was important for me to show the person who creates a play. It wasn't something I could do alone by thinking about my character. We all had to become one throughout practice. We constantly worked together, looked at each other, and looked at each other. “We had to lean on each other. There was a lot of effort from each other,” he explained.

Kim Seong-cheol expressed his affection, saying, "It's the third week since the opening, and I'm happy that many people seem to be enjoying it. I really like this work because the performance itself seems to be able to give good energy to the audience." He continued, "The running time is about 2 hours and 30 minutes. The on-stage time is about 2 hours and 20 minutes. There are many actors on stage, and the stage has never been empty. That energy cannot be created by us, but by the team. “It is something that is created by itself. It is a work created by one team, and we all created it together,” he said.

Jung So-min, Chae Soo-bin, and Kim Yoo-jung play Viola de Lesseps, Shakespeare's love interest and the daughter of a wealthy merchant, a bold woman who strives to achieve her dream of becoming a theater actress, which was taboo for women at the time. In particular, Jung So-min and Kim Yoo-jung challenged the theater stage for the first time through 'Shakespeare in Love'.

Jung So-min said, "It was a long-time dream. I am happy that I was able to make that long-time dream come true through a good work called 'Shakespeare in Love.'" He added, "Of course, I had a lot of worries and a lot of excitement. I am receiving a lot of energy from every practice and every performance. I am having an exciting and happy experience that I have not experienced since my debut. I am receiving a lot of help from the actors I work with."

Kim Yoo-jung said, "I had a great desire to do theater. It was like a dream. I am very grateful that I got the opportunity to meet the audience on a big stage. That's how much (the stage) was like a dream." He said, "The work itself was good enough, both the original work and the adaptation into this play. So, I thought about my appearance as Viola and tried to show a good appearance. I am proud that there are many audiences who like it. All the actors who work with me are good. “I also received a lot of healing,” he said with a smile.

The age difference between Jung Moon-seong and Kim Yoo-jung is 18 years. Jeong Moon-seong said, "We are actors. It's the same in the practice room, and when you see it on stage, Yoo-jeong doesn't look like a young person." He added, "In my eyes, he appears to be a great actor who plays Viola. I also tried to look like William Shakespeare, so I hope Yujeong looks that way too. I've never had a problem exchanging feelings while performing."

Kim Yoo-jung said, "I personally thought it was an honor to be with actor Jeong Moon-seong. I didn't feel the age difference when I was on stage, in the practice room, or when we were working together. Even now, we rely on each other a lot on stage. The problem is “No,” he said, adding strength.

Kim Yoo-jung also said, "During practice, I spent time with all the actors and staff every day, putting a lot of effort into each scene, and sharing opinions with each other. The process of making it was a meaningful time. I learned a lot during the practice period. “I was sad that it was ending,” he confessed.

Kim Yoo-jung said, "Usually, when I'm filming, I feel like I can see the staff around me. When I go on stage, it's the first time I've had the experience of momentarily focusing on the one person in front of me, the many actors next to me, and myself." “Through that experience, I was able to focus on acting. I learned a lot through good experiences while thinking about what meaning and feeling each word I spoke would have to the audience. I think I will continue to do so in the future,” he said with affection. revealed.

Meanwhile, 'Shakespeare in Love' will be performed at the Seoul Arts Center's CJ Towol Theater on March 26.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr