Which I finished on Saturday.
For the most part.
I found some great gifts for my family back home (although, I have to admit, I wanted to buy half of the stores in Insadong to furnish my home).
Hwayoung surprised me with tickets to see a traditional Korean play that was taking place on Sunday near World-Cup Stadium in Seoul. I thought it was just going to be traditional music and dancing that I have seen before. Some of it was similar to that, but it was incorporated into a famous play, and made into a musical. The play is called 마당놀이 이춘풍 난봉기, which is VERY roughly translated by me to mean "Madang Nori Ichunpung Nanbonggi" It mainly means (from my little Korean) Traditional Korean musical (Madang Nori) --and then something about a casanova/playboy. (sorry about the pathetic translation).
The play takes the traditional story and then modifies it in some ways to poke fun at modern things and people. Some of which I understood, and some of which completely was over my head. (Mind you there are no subtitles in theaters!)
Basically the story (from what I understood) is this. There is a popular man in a small farming village outside Seoul. He is a casanova of sorts, and likes to fool around with all the local prostitutes. His wife is angry with him because his business ventures have failed and he has no money to support his wife and adult son. He has spent all of his money on the prostitutes and his wife is angry with him. He beats his wife and she eventually throws him out of the house, broke and with no skills (except for his way with the ladies).
He is forced to sign a contract that leaves all of his property and assets to his wife, and leaves for Seoul to start a new business venture with the help of his friends. He promises his wife he'll come back with money to pay his debts (and the prostitutes) and will not spend any more money on prostitutes (even in Seoul where the temptation is greater, and the prostitutes more abundant). He becomes destitute as his business venture fails. He is also being tempted by all the prostitutes, but turns them all down except for the prettiest, most successful prostitute (which he ends up owing more money to). Eventually he runs into his son on a couple of occasions, and sees that he is also failing at life (and has been also spending money on prostitutes -- the uglier ones that the father turned down). They both end up working as house servants for a popular and rich prostitute to pay off their debts. The wife back home hears news about their behavior and destitution and decides to bring them home. She dresses up as a male local Constable, and brings her husband and son to be punished for the debts to the rich prostitute.
She has them tortured until they confess their ways, and also punishes the rich prostitute and convinces her to disregard the debts. The incognito wife sends her husband and son back to their village and urges them to repent their ways or suffer further. They men return home to the wife who asks if they succeeded in Seoul.
They both lie, and tell her of their great fortune, and that they did not sleep with prostitutes. She knows they are lying and decides they need a surprise visit from the "Constable". She dresses up again, and approaches her husband and son again who repent further, and swear they'll never do anything like that again. She tells them they better not, and reveals her disguise. The husband is angry, but the truth is out, and she ends up owning his property and assets but forgives him and her son in the end.
Bizzare, I know -- I may have missed a few details as well.
Here are some short video clips as well:
1 comment:
They let you take pictures and video clips? Or are those netcaptures??
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