From “Ma’am” to “Honey”

“I haven’t told this to anyone…”

Yoon Suk-hwa (48) opens the conversation in a confessional tone. I tense up in anticipation, and she proceeds with the rest of the sentence in her clear and articulate way.

“I decided to quit smoking--something I hadn’t been able to do for thirty years--to play Annette. When I took on the role of the 21-year-old Annette, I told everyone that ‘transformation is an actress’s prerogative,’ but in my heart I was still apprehensive. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the younger actors and actresses in stamina and dance, because on the stage, everyone is an equal regardless of how much seniority you might have in this business. So I made up my mind. I thought, with enough willpower to stop smoking--a habit that’s been like breathing for me whenever I was working on the stage--there’s nothing I couldn’t achieve.”

The musical that drove the most definitive actress in Korea’s musical scene to make such a severe resolution is “Saturday Night Fever.” The story takes the restlessness, love, friendships, and pursuit of dreams that characterize youth, and charges the whole with the songs of the Bee Gees, a pop group that dominated the cultural landscape of the 70s. Yoon produced and directed SNF in 2003, and it seems the decision to star in it herself has come after a hefty amount of uneasiness and worry.

Playing opposite Yoon as Tony is Park Gun-hyung (27). Yoon picked the then-unknown Park through an audition last year, recognizing his untapped potential, and stuck to her decision despite objections about his lack of experience. True to her expectations, Park soared as a bright star, and the two quickly went from “teacher and student” to “lovers” during that same year.

Tony and Annette—

Contrary to Yoon’s anxious misgivings, Yoon and Park were a truly well-suited pair on the rehearsal stage. Yoon’s Annette, slim and petite, was a lovable and spirited female lead, and the tall and muscular Park in the role of Tony looked surprisingly trusty and mature. In the musical, Annette is in love with Tony, but Tony breaks her heart by going for Stephanie (Bae Hae-seon) instead.

“His charm lies in his boldness and reserve,” offers Yoon. “If I’ve just been to my hairdresser’s, the other actors and actresses would compliment me or at least mention it in passing, but he would never even pretend to notice. So I’d have to say, ‘I got my hair done,’ and he’d say, ‘Yeah, I saw.’ And that would be the end of it.”

In terms of age, Yoon is old enough to be Park’s mother. In fact, she’s just a year younger than his actual mother. To my question about how they address each other, Park replies that he calls her “ma’am” in general, “mom,” “auntie,” or “older sister” when he’s drinking, and “hey, Annette” during rehearsals.

“When I finally decided to take the role, I told myself, I’ll change completely into Annette (who is just 21 as opposed to Yoon’s real age of 48), and give hope to all the ‘old married’ women in the land--give them vicarious fulfillment. Maybe that’s why Tony considers Annette to be of even less consequence,” says Yoon, laughing.

Teacher and Student—

“I invited the same British choreographer this year as I did last year, and he was amazed. He said that if Park was merely following the choreographed moves last year, this year the moves had been absorbed into his body.”

With that, Yoon has returned unmistakably to being a teacher, overjoyed with the bounding progress of her protégé. But Park counters, “Compliments don’t really change anything,” adding that he was “troubled by the recollection of his lumbering performance last year” when he found himself dancing for the same choreographer once more.

“When I first saw him at the audition, I knew that he was either all Tony or not at all,” Yoon recalls. “He was more dignified than his age warranted, and cool to the point of arrogance.”

“Last year, I was just vaguely thinking that it would be great to get the part. But when I actually got on the stage, I loved that electrifying feeling, of getting goose bumps all over. You know, the kind of newness that makes you nervous each time you perform, even though you’re out on that stage every single day,” says Park. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a man and a woman were to love like that?”

Working with “Tony” last year, Yoon was thinking how reassuring it would be to have a son like him. Soon afterwards, her son Su-min (2) came into her life. She regards her son as “a gift from God for her 30 years of devotion to the theater.” Her mobile phone sports a picture of mother and son in a “hot” embrace, along with the phrase “Su-min’s Mommy” on the LCD display.

“I know too well just how lonely the life of an actor is, so I say to Gun-hyung, ‘When you’re feeling really and truly alone, remember that I am here.’ I tell him never to bow down no matter what anyone says, to stand proud and hold steadfast to his identity as a musical actor,” Yoon remarks.

“I keep telling you not to worry! I’m going to be a lifelong actor,” announces Park, “so I’m not going to be impatient about it.”

July 17-August 3, Seoul Arts Center Opera House, 02-3672-3001

Mi-Seok Koh mskoh119@donga.com