MAGIC ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA
In her 100 minute comedy-drama, playwright Jiehae Park challenges the audience to explore the limbo between who we were juxtaposed with who we are as applied by the characters from HANNAH AND THE DREAD GAZEBO. Certainly, though, one doesn’t have to be grounded in Korean culture to apply the questions resounding from the play. Our ethnicities may differ, yet new generations may encounter the same questions facing Hannah in their own bubble.
“Hannah” (Monica Hong) receives a package from her grandmother (one of multiple roles played by “Shapeshifter” (Jully Lee)) containing a symbol of good wishes for the young lady’s new career in Pediatric Neurology (for which Hannah has long prepared in NYC) while at the same time teasing her own possible suicide. That development, along with a fateful phone call from her “Father” (Hahn Cho), ultimately intrudes on her career path because of the questions it raises about her identity. Is she Korean or American or neither? The plot develops helter skelter at an often furious pace, yet without any linear guideposts.
Earlier, her family had moved to Seoul, South Korea to be near the grandmother who was living in a senior community high-rise on the border of the DMZ. When Hannah receives word that her grandmother apparently has jumped from the high-rise, she heads home to engage with her “Mother” (Janet Song) who valiantly searches for a gazebo to grow living things in her drab residence. Father relentlessly tries to recover the missing body of the grandmother from the North Koreans. Oh, there are plenty more kinks (tangents?) – and humor in this wasteland of regret about belonging still to unfold.
The lackadaisical son “Dang” (Gavin Lee) seems totally devoid of a connection to his ancestry, and interacts with an activist “Girl” (Wonjung Kim) who sets him straight about his place in the universe. Then, there’s the bird and a lesson in Korean folklore (the bear and the tiger) to further muddle the experience (yes, I guess it’s magic). This critic is versed more than many in Korean history since WWII; however, because of the constant shifting of focus, he often finds himself adrift in a sea of dumbfoundery. Yes, it is obvious that identity is at the core of this dramedy and the ground on which these characters trek remains always unsteady. Unfortunately, though, the search for connections exhausted this reviewer after awhile. Did I even mention the ghost of the deceased North Korean dictator traipsing through the DMZ or the mysterious one in the trench coat?
The direction (compliments of Jennifer Chang assisted by Reena Dutt) of this fast-paced, curious play seems apt given the complexities of the enterprise. Howard Ho provides an interesting Sound Design and Yee Eun Nam scores with her Scenic/Video Design as well.
The co-production of HANNAH AND THE DREAD GAZEBO by Fountain Theatre and East West Players seems commendable in intent. Realistically – it seems – the audience shouldn’t have to wait for the liberating finale to experience the magic!
