Now In Korea
Review: 'Beauty and the Beast' Stage Adaptation Urges Authentic Self in an Age of Comparison
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
The National Youth Theatre presented a stage adaptation of the original 1740 French tale by de Villeneuve (드 빌레느브) on Jan 16–17 in Chuncheon. Adapted by playwright Hwang Jeong-eun and directed by Lee Dae-woong, this production avoids Disney-style retelling and explores fairy realms, hidden identities, transformation and reconciliation through theatrical language. A jealous figure, Megaira, curses a prince into a beast wrapped in rose vines, and only genuine love frees him. The play treats fantasy outwardly but exposes realistic emotional mechanisms—attraction to beauty, rejection of the ‘unbeautiful’—that mirror contemporary young people’s fear of relationships.
Staging strengths include imaginative expansion of the fairy imagery into theatrical grammar, a scene where fairies guide the audience into fantasy, and effective use of transparent fabric to create a mystical space. The actor playing Megaira brings compelling, urgent intensity, portraying desire as active and tragic rather than mere evil. Smooth scene transitions, balanced ensemble work, and dense rehearsal polish were noted. The rose motif—where the beast becomes a rosebush—serves as a condensed symbol of time, memory and desire; a line in the play, “Flowers are all different in shape and each has its own scent,” offers warm consolation about inherent worth amid comparison and exposure. Humor, song and movement make it approachable as family theater, while the heroine Belle conveys a familiar “K-drama female lead” warmth that helps bridge the beast’s closed heart.
The National Youth Theatre has been based in Wonju since 2025 to expand public performance opportunities for young theatre artists; this production will tour 17 performances across Wonju, Chuncheon, Samcheok, Gangneung, Hoengseong and Sokcho, with the next shows in Samcheok on Jan 23–24.
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