Kiwoong Sung’s Three Sisters’ Foreign Service
Kyoto Art Center Feb 22 2020
Adapations of Shakespeare to other periods abound. By re-setting the Venice of Italian renaissance of The Merchant of Venice to a cosmopolitan 18thc century social whirl, one can select from wonderful options for costumes and sets, but also can maintain the enduring themes of animosity between Christians and Jews, oppression of women, and evils of scrupulous capitalism. At other times, plays in contemporary clothing or language reinvigorate a classic by jarring juxtapositions of antique customs and ethics with the passions and resonant issues of the day—the Mikado set at a seaside spa in 19th century Britain; Ivo van Hove’s Network, a “mad as hell” cry for help in the present chaotic, media, messianic moment.
At other times, such transplantations can create comic or hideous monsters, obscuring both the period in which they are set and their deeper meaning. A Mardi Gras setting for Moliere, or Medea played out in a Korean-American family have a connect-the-dots cleverness that quickly loses fascination as deeper flows of meaning become shallow with time, attempts to be faithful to two masters rendering the language artificial.
Thus with trepidation did I attend The Three Sisters’ Foreign Station (Gaichi no Sannin shimai 外池の三人姉妹), a play by Korean playwright-director Kiwoong Sung that resets the classic Chekhov play in the interbellum years of 1928-1942 in the northern city of Rannu?, Korea at the end of the Japanese occupation (1910-1945). Most of the characters are Japanese patriots and entrepreneurs, drawn to this expanding and strategic Japanese territory, soldiers and teachers charged with bringing the Korean people into the Japanese nation-body through forced language,education, conscription. Although written by a Korean playwright, there is no attempt to portray easy villains or victims. Instead, Foreign Station Sisters is, as with Chekhov, a slice-of-life perspective on a particularly moment in history, with all the confusion, tragedy, and layered ironies that a few turbulent decades can bring. It is reminiscent of both the Japanese proletarian plays of the 1930s in Japan, and pre-Revolution Russian plays showing the demise of once-great family dynasties, and rise of the working class.
That the play is so sensitive to Korean-Japanese interactions across class and gender, even in a variety of languages—Japanese, Korean, Esperanto, German--is perhaps attributed to the rich history of intercultural collaboration of the playwright-director, whom I met while on sabbatical at the University of California, Berkeley in 2016, both of us loosely advised by famed Asian-American playwright Phillip Gotanda.
Kiwoong Sung has worked with more Japanese theatre groups and directors than perhaps anyone in Japan. https://performingarts.jp/E/pre_interview/1512/1.htmlA translator and playwright, he has also coordinated performance tours, collaborating closely with director-playwrights Hirata Oriza (Seinendan), Noda Hideki (Noda Map), and Okada Toshiki (chelfisch), and director Tada Junnosuke, whose two versions of Godot last year—Reiwa version and Showa version—showed a great command of mood and design. Perhaps as a result of his learning as an adult of the Japanese language, and entry into Japanese theatre through Hirata’s “colloquial” idiom, Sun appears uniquely sensitive to nuances of language, inability to express and to hear what others are trying to say, that merges well with Chekhov’s poetic ambiguity.
Specifically, in Three Sisters’ Foreign Station this is evident in the distinctions of class, “foreignness” of Korean speakers of Japanese, and speaking styles (although the cast drawn from disparate company may have affected actors’ styles). This play follows a trilogy set in this period, and Karumegi, adapting Chekhov’s The Seagull to the colonization period, directed by Tada. As Korea has opened up to Japanese cultural influence only in his lifetime, Sung seems to have taken full advantage of the many opportunities of exchanges, grants, funding, and collaboration to examine in a local, specific way the great questions of historical interaction which tie these two countries together.
Foreign Service Three Sisters perhaps owes much to Hirata Oriza’s Citizens of Seoul trilogy which Sung translated and staged in Korea decade ago. Here, Chekhov’s story of family disintegration is set near the end of Japanese colonization, 1921-1942. Family members teach in the local schools, impressing Japanese language culture and language on students of this new “internalizing Korean”. Their father brought the sisters there as a general, but they long to return to Tokyo, land of their birth, complaining often about their ignorant servants, unruly students, and lack of civilization, and finally sense of impending doom.
Soldiers are a mixed lot of Tokyo-based lifetime soldiers, including Masha’s lover Lieutenant-Colonel Isobe, and a wealthy neighbor who quits to begin working for the Mitsubishi corporation in Manchukuo, the Manchurian colony that is another outpost for pioneering imperialism. Meanwhile the sardonic, wise-cracking, Soliony is a Japanese-born Korean conscript in the Army, going overboard with samurai swagger (his climactic off-stage duel is fought with swords). Rather than the arbitrary redeployment of Chekhov’s soldiers, the Japanese soldiers know that they soon will be called to the war with the Chinese. They are not merely relaxing at this seaside city, but defending it as the potential center of the new Empire. The fire that destroys their neighborhood in the original is here an aerial bombardment, as war slowly encroaches on their idyllic outpost. Although in the final act, set in 1942, Isobe’s family is sent back to Tokyo, both cities now under threat of brutal Allied aerial bombardments.
Linguistic/intercultural conflicts
The maid and other servants are played as Koreans with various abilities in Japanese (and played by Korean-Japanese actors). When the Doctor considers adopting one as an heir, a male servant who has played a non-fluent buffoon suddenly speaks very directly to her, physically drawing her away from the Doctor, perhaps symbolic of the rising to the surface of the suppressed anti-Japanese sentiment that would burst forth with the end of the Empire (1945). Another faithful maid has followed the sisters’ mother from Tokyo, yet now dispensed with by the new head of the family, Natasha, here a Korean woman that brother Alexei has fallen for.
Natasha is perhaps the most interesting character in the play. She is at first shy and obedient as Confucian daughter, objecting to Andrei’s sudden marriage proposal, saying he should first ask her father. She wins arguments with her tears, protective of her precious child. And her woeful tears at her having to adapt to the food tastes of her new family are especially poignant, imagining how a Korean might learn submission to her colonizing family. But in the last act, she is clearly in charge, forcing the sale of the house and evictions of three sisters form their ancestral home, another premonition of post-colonial Korean reconstruction? Brother Andrei is finally a wrecked alcoholic, pushing the baby stroller while wishing the soldiers a safe return, the only one not to realize that their lives are being unshakably changed beneath their feet. Three Sisters’ power to move through the shifting fortunes of a single family are remarkably retained in this transference, although elements of romance, alleged affairs, Alexei’s gambling, and the triangular tensions of Irina’s two suitors are downplayed here. Perhaps the next draft will leaven in more subtle relationships of characters now mouthing platitudes.
One can see why the play might cause offense if performed in Korea, as Sung has noted in an after-talk (see Japanese review below). Casual racism and arrogance abound—the schoolteacher never bothered learning the Korean language; teachers see their roles as civilizing their charges, offering them the beneficence of Japanese leadership. Yet their willful ignorance is apparent as they tell of their visions of a peaceful, convenient, and abundant future, or teacher tries to get his wife out of her mourning for her lover’s departure by imitating Adolph Hitler. Teaching Esperanto, the idealistic Kookyghin leaves for his duel, his parting words spoken in Esperanto--Nana does not understand them, as she has completely forgotten the language.
Dynamics of Staged reading
Although called “drama reading” in Japanese, it was really a fully-staged reading, directed by the author. Actresses wore period dresses, kimono and maid’s costumes, while soldiers and civilian were dressed appropriately. Chairs and Tables with desk-lights on various raised stage areas provided a sense of the set and movements, although generally actors faced forward when speaking. When not onstage, actors sat by their scripts on music-stands to the sides, a silent chorus, occasionally contributing musical or sound cues. They also read most of the stage directions, although sometimes the actors themselves read their own exits and entrances, reminiscent of Israel Horowitz’s meta-theatrical short plays. The act setting was projected at the back, along with occasional footnotes on jargon or historic incidents mentioned, footnotes that flew by too quickly sometimes for me to follow. Why weren’t the Korean servants’ language translated? Sung told me that he wanted to provide the same understanding on the part of the spectators as with the Japanese characters, in intimate contact with the Korean maids and messengers yet not understanding a word. This seems a bit meta-theatrical for merely a reading; I would preferred to have a more natural empathy for those whose language was translated fluently in surtitles.
Afterwards Sung seemed pleased by the reading, although he felt that there were some disparities in acting. The actresses especially seemed to inhabit their roles, emoting rather than reading the text. He preferred the actors’ neutral deliveries, allowing the barebones script to be evident for the audience to appreciate. However, as a first step, he seemed glad to have developed the play in collaboration, and by a coincidence of timing it was picked up for production in December in KAAT. Without a thriving “off-Broadway” or Sundance-like academy for developing of large-cast, difficult, non-musical, and foreign plays, this staged reading allowed for much of the discovery and tweaking that would otherwise be impossible to mount even in a subsidized space.
The aftertalk on the 21st I had not attended (see detailed review and summary below) https://musicalandplay.com/category/%E6%BC%94%E5%8A%87%E4%B8%8A%E6%98%A0/
Sung mentioned the interesting period when Shakespeare was being translated into Japanese and then to Korean. This sort of intercultural “ricochet” effect may happen here, as a play commissioned by a Russian-specialist Osaka University professor (Nagata) depicting a Japanese family in Korea is produced in Japan, and yet may eventually be translated to Korean and perform there (with criticism). In this highly-charged moment between the two countries, Sung is walking a delicate tightrope, but with grace, humor, and energy to be applauded.
Here is a Twitter account of the previous night’s staged reading and aftertalk.
ソン・ギウン『外地の三人姉妹』リーディング
2020/2/21 終演後、アフタートークあり。
脚本・演出：ソン・ギウン 翻訳：石川樹里
上演時間３時間（もっと短くする予定とのこと）
「KAC Performing Arts Program 2019 / Theater 演劇作品における新たな主体をめぐって」と題したイベントの一環として、京都芸術センターでリーディング公演が上演された（公式サイト）。KAATで今年12月に上演することになっている（演出：多田淳之介）。
アフタートークで語られたことだが、韓国で書き上げた段階では脚本は未完成で、本公演の稽古期間１ヶ月のうち、前半２週間はワークショップ的な読み合わせで脚本をブラッシュアップしたそうだ。
感想（ネタバレなし）
チェーホフ『三姉妹』を下敷きに、『外地の三姉妹』として、外地＝朝鮮で暮らしている日本人の娘三姉妹にしたという翻案がやはり面白い。
戯曲がとても魅力的なのだが、1930年代〜40年代の朝鮮という舞台がとてもうまくハマっているからこそ、プロットやキャタクターの行動から匂い立つ「チェーホフぽさ」がものすごく濃い。憂鬱さ、腰の重さ、外地に来る羽目になった日本人たちの高慢な態度の鼻につくことよ。
ほとんどワーニャ伯父さんだなあ、とか元も子もないような感想も抱きつつ−−途中でふとThree Days In The Country(パトリック・マーバーによるツルゲーネフ『村の一月』翻案)も思い出したが−−展開は分かっているのに飽きることもなく３時間見ていられた。
リーディング公演だと、どの程度のものを期待していいのかわからなかったが、思っていたより舞台の形になっている公演だった。
段差を用いた簡素な舞台と、設備の備品らしきテーブルと椅子、譜面台やパーテーションなどを用いて、建物や敷地の構造、１階２階などの異なる空間が幕ごとにきちんと表現できていた。細かい出入りの動線もしっかり再現し、空間に破綻がない。衣装もそれらしきものを用意していた。背景のスクリーンに情景描写や用語解説が映し出され、かなり教育的な上演でもあった。資料の映写と、音楽も使われていた。
俳優の演技も朗読と舞台演技の中間という感じ。演技がややグラグラするのは、今回はしょうがないだろう。
ト書きは基本的に出番のない役者が読み上げるのだが、「誰々、出て行く」というようなト書きの多くは演じている役者本人に言わせるというややメタ的な演出。そこをミックスする必要はあまり感じなかったものの、リーディング公演だからこそできる遊びでもある。
ここから、KAATでの上演がどのようなものに発展するのかが楽しみである。
アフタートークのメモ
注意：言葉遣いや発言の順番も変えてしまっている、不完全なメモ。
登壇者：ソン・ギウン、筒井潤（dracom、ゲスト）、山口吉右衛門（劇団飛び道具）、司会に京都芸術センターの方。
山口さんは上演企画を京都芸術センターに持ち込んだ方で、千葉（チェプトゥイキン）役で出演もしている。
- 稽古は１ヶ月、前半の２週間は翻訳（兼出演）の方を交え、出演俳優との読み合わせで日本文化に合うように脚本を直した。皆で背景や資料の勉強をするだけの日もあった。
- 最初の脚本では〈習慣的なあいさつ〉などと書かれているのを、適切なセリフや時代にあった言葉遣いを考える必要があった。
- 最後のシーンは数日前に出来上がった。
- （ソン・ギウン）戯曲の翻案は、カルメギ（かもめ）、颱風奇譚（テンペスト）に引き続き3作目。
- 元々は大阪大学文学研究科の講義のための依頼で始まり、上演には受講生が携わり一部出演もしている。タイミングよく多田さんからも依頼があり、今回のリーディング公演→KAATでの公演という運びになった。たまたま。
- 100年ほど前に、ヨーロッパから日本に、チェーホフやシェイクスピアなどの演劇を輸入し翻訳劇をやって、それを韓国に持って帰って日本語から韓国語に翻訳して演劇をやっていたという歴史があり、それを興味深いと思っている。（今チェーホフやシェイクスピアを日韓共同でやるにあたって）
- チェーホフの書いた時代（現代に移る前）が、日本でいう戦前にあたるのではないか
- ソウルでは、チェーホフやシェイクスピアの、時代や場所を変えた翻案はやられており、「モスクワへ」を「京城（ソウル）へ」という翻案は見たことがあった。ただ、父親が軍人という設定などうまくいっていないと思う点があり、そこで「東京へ」という翻案を作りたいと考えた。『かもめ』の方がわかりやすいと思っていたため最初にやった。今回は依頼の永田先生がロシア文学が専門ということもあり、『三人姉妹』を選んだが、三人姉妹の方が戯曲が自分にはわかりにくいと思う。
- チェーホフの戯曲にある非再現性が、自分の脚本のリアルで論理的な感じ、再現性とミックスされたような感覚
- 日本のことをあまり分かっていないのに、日本人を描くのが一番ハードルが高かった。最初は末娘だけ朝鮮人の養子にしようかとも考えていたが、結局ほとんど日本人、ほとんどのセリフが日本語の芝居になった。
- （山口）多言語にしたい、訛りも入れたいということだったので、俳優本人が秋田弁など勉強してきてセリフを直した。
- （筒井）今回朝鮮を舞台に日本人で、という設定で、人の出入りや人物の関係が、元よりもわかりやすいと感じた。このあとチェーホフを見た方が理解が深まるかも
- （ソン・ギウン）ソウルでの上演予定は今の所ない。上演したらまた批判が出るかも。
- 日本人はこの歴史に興味がないが、韓国人は熱心に学ぶ。さらに、日本人が興味がないことも承知している。なので、今回親日派の韓国人と日本人のミックスというキャラクターがいるが、そういう人物を出すことに批判が出るかもしれない。日本人が自覚していない歴史を描く（特に日本で日本人演出家が携わる）もので、加害側と被害側の境界に立つような人物を描き、境界を曖昧にするなんて、と問題視されるだろう。
- 日本でも、昨今の状況見ていると、タイミングによっては騒がれてしまうかも…という話などが出たあたりでお開き
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