On Stage: Bringing the Moment 'The Moon Is Beautiful' to Life
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Behind the Moon is a new Korean original musical that stages the life of Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins in a one-man show. Opening with a reference to the famous Natsume Sōseki anecdote—"the moon is beautiful" (a restrained Japanese phrase implying "I love you")—the piece frames Collins as a quietly devoted husband, father, and teammate. The musical begins with Collins’s shy first date with his wife Patricia, where he avoids overt declarations and instead says the moon is beautiful. During the Apollo 11 mission Collins pilots the command module Columbia in lunar orbit while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land on the surface; he never walks on the Moon but watches the far side of it and accepts a supporting, sacrificial role with dignity. Written by Kim Han-sol (revised from a 5-person draft into a 1-person piece), the show highlights Collins’s humanity through sweet romantic scenes, warm family moments, and the camaraderie of mission work. Actors Yoon Jun-sang, Jung Moon-sung, Go Hoon-jeong, and Go Sang-ho portray Collins in rotation. Behind the Moon runs at Chungmu Art Center’s Black Theater through Feb. 8.
