Popera singer and actor Kai (born Jung Ki-yeol) is returning to the theater stage in a production of William Shakespeare’s representative comedy, ‘The Merchant of Venice’. Kai has long expressed his desire to participate in a Shakespearean work, making him more excited than ever for this performance.
During a press conference for ‘The Merchant of Venice’ held on the 12th at NOL Seokyeong Square in Daehakro, Seoul, Kai shared his passion for plays and his anticipation of sharing the stage once again with theater legends Shin Goo and Park Geun-hyung.
‘The Merchant of Venice’ is a production that reconstructs the narrative of Shakespeare’s most controversial comedy, focusing on dynamic development and live stage language. It highlights the conflict between law and mercy, and contracts and humanity, through Shakespeare’s signature witty language and sophisticated structure.
In the play, Kai takes on the role of ‘Antonio’, a merchant of Venice who risks his own life for a friend. He plans to decorate the stage focusing on the actor’s language and rhythm, combined with a sophisticated mise-en-scène and dense interpretation.
When people think of Kai, they often think of musicals first. This is because he has participated in numerous major productions as one of Korea’s representative musical actors.
However, he is far from being detached from plays. Kai appeared in the play ‘Red’ in 2015 and expanded his horizons with ‘Last Session’ in 2023 and ‘Waiting for Waiting for Godot’ in 2024.
While several musical productions competed to cast him, Kai’s choice was once again a play.
Regarding why he regularly participates in plays, he stated, “I’ve always loved Shakespeare’s works. Not just literature, but I also love opera and movies. While working on ‘Last Session’ and ‘Waiting for Waiting for Godot’, I expressed my desire to the production company, Park Company, multiple times that I really wanted to do a Shakespeare piece.” He added, “An actor is a profession that is always being chosen. I am grateful and happy that they chose me.”
He reunites with two living legends of the theater world after two years since ‘Waiting for Waiting for Godot’. Kai emphasized, “It is an honor just to work with the two masters, Shin Goo and Park Geun-hyung. Their presence was one of the reasons I decided to participate in ‘The Merchant of Venice’.”
With the opening about a month away, Kai explained his interpretation and efforts, saying, “Musicals and plays are certainly different in format. I think the element of ‘speech’ that an actor delivers to the audience, and to myself, is the biggest factor that draws me to the theater stage.” He added, “Through this work, I want to express the most beautiful parts of language.”
‘The Merchant of Venice’, which reconstructs Shakespeare’s meter and linguistic rhythm into modern stage language, will run from July 8 to August 9 at the Haeoreum Theater of the National Theater of Korea in Jung-gu, Seoul.
