Aging Actors Revisit Shakespeare in Korean Staging of The Dresser
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
The Dresser opens at Seoul’s National Theater on Nov. 27, starring veteran actors Park Geun-hyung (85) as the aging lead actor “the Sir” and Song Seung-hwan (68) as his dresser Norman. Set in WWII Britain at a Shakespeare repertory company, the Sir forgets his lines 40 minutes before a Lear performance and air raids add to the chaos. The production mirrors contemporary social anxieties and explores memory, aging and dependence. Song—who has very limited vision from retinitis pigmentosa (망막색소변성증)—takes the dresser role for the first time after previously playing the Sir; Park and Song reflect on long careers that began with them meeting at an awards ceremony in 1968. Both describe renewed insights into acting late in life and the emotional ties between performers: “Even after 227 Lears you can still forget lines—that’s theatre,” Park says. The play highlights fragility, gratitude and the collaborative nature of live theatre.
