Kim Yoo-jung, successful first performance of ‘Shakespeare in Love’

Actress Kim Yoo-jung successfully completed her stage debut through the play 'Shakespeare in Love'.

According to her agency Awesome Ent on the 30th, Kim Yoo-jung first performed 'Shakespeare in Love' at the Seoul Arts Center's CJ Towol Theater on the 29th.

'Shakespeare in Love' is based on the movie of the same name, and started from the pleasant imagination that 'Romeo and Juliet' was born out of the love of the great writer William Shakespeare. In the play, Kim Yoo-jung plays the role of Viola de Lesseps, Shakespeare's love and the daughter of a wealthy merchant, a bold woman who strives to achieve her dream of becoming a stage actress, which was taboo for women at the time.

It is said that after the first performance, Kim Yoo-jung's acting ability to capture the character's delicate emotions belied the fact that it was her first attempt at a play, and on the day of the performance, the audience erupted in loud applause for a long time.

A behind-the-scenes photo of Kim Yoo-jung's poster shooting site, who drew a great response with her gorgeous visuals prior to the opening of the performance, also attracts attention. Kim Yoo-jung shows off her appearance in an old-fashioned dress and looks more mature and elegant, creating the illusion that the character in the play is alive and moving. Viola de Lesseps' various emotions are clearly revealed, from her melancholy eyes to her faint smile, raising expectations for future performances.

Kim Yoo-jung has a wide range of roles regardless of genre, including Hong Ra-on, a cross-dressing nun in the drama 'Moonlight Drawn by Clouds', Hong Cheon-ki, a painter with supernatural powers in 'Hong Cheon-ki', and Na Bora, a 17-year-old girl whose friendship comes before love in the Netflix film '20th Century Girls'. He has grown by showing a wide acting spectrum.

Meanwhile, the play 'Shakespeare in Love' starring Kim Yu-jung will be performed at the Seoul Arts Center's CJ Towol Theater until March 26.

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