[Seoul] The Unexpected Man(홀연했던 사나이)

[Programs]
* The show has closed.

The title’s “unexpected” reminds us of Margaret Mitchell’s novel Gone with the Wind, which was a very popular film at the time. Of course, the story of this play is different from the novel. It’s about the dreams, frustrations and hopes that everyone has had at one time or another.

Seung-chul, the main character, is an aspiring film director. But things aren’t going well. He remembers a “man” he met as a child in his mother’s coffee shop. The man introduced himself as a “director” and said he wanted to interview ordinary people about their lives and turn them into a film.

The Unexpected Man is a musical theater set in a coffee shop called Eunhasu Dabang in 1980. The blue aquarium, old-fashioned tables and overstuffed sofas are reminiscent of Daehangno, or University Street of the 80s. The retro set and kitschy sensibilities are exquisitely combined for laugh-out-loud fun.

Above all, it’s a story that everyone can relate to, and one that goes beyond comedy to touch the heart. Even if you stumble and fall today, the sun will rise tomorrow. This is the story of a man who made us realize that we are all the masters of our own lives. What answers did he give Seung-chul? And what comfort would he have given us as we left the theatre?