Actor Shim Eunkyung has perfectly transformed into a clear-faced "21st-century Sonya." The National Theater of Korea's new play Banya Ajae, which is drawing intense attention as her first domestic stage debut in theater, stoked expectations by releasing the character poster of the protagonist Seoeunhee (Sonya).
Director Jo Gwang-hwa adapted and directed the production with a Korean sensibility, and the National Theater of Korea's Banya Ajae will be performed at the National Theater's Haeoreum Theater from May 22 to 31.
In the previously released character poster, Shim Eunkyung is the incarnation of Seoeunhee, who reinterprets Anton Chekhov's Sonya from Russian literature through a Korean emotional lens. With soft wavy short hair and a neat outfit, she maximized the image of a diligent, innocent young woman who quietly tends to her life, capturing viewers' attention.
In particular, her makeup-free, transparent eyes and the clear aura she emits while holding wildflowers entirely capture the character's purity, who does not lose her inner center even amid hard reality. This poster, enhanced by Shim Eunkyung's distinctive delicate expressiveness, raises expectations for the warm consolation and resonance she will deliver on stage.
In the play, Seoeunhee, played by Shim Eunkyung, is the niece of protagonist Park Ibo (Banya). She lives with a painful unrequited love and complexes about her appearance, but she is a person with a strong inner strength who sustains her life more diligently than anyone else.
Standing on a domestic theater stage for the first time since her debut, Shim Eunkyung said she was excited and felt a sense of responsibility that she could feel the audience's breath directly and breathe with them in the space called the stage.
The lineup is also impressive. Led by Shim Eunkyung, theater greats who inspire confidence by name alone, including Cho Seong Ha, Son Sook, Nam Myeong-ryeol, Ki Ju-bong, and Jeong Kyung-sun, will all appear.
Meanwhile, Shim Eunkyung recently gave a chilling performance as her first-ever villain in the recently concluded tvN weekend drama Mad Concrete Dreams.
[Photo] National Theater of Korea 'Banya Ajae'
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