Edinburgh Fringe 2024
ARI: The Spirit of Korea
Jeongseon Arirang Culture Foundation, Korean Season presented by AtoBiz Ltd
Genre: Dance and Movement Theatre, Musical Theatre, Storytelling
Venue: Assembly Hall - Main Hall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
ARI: The Spirit of Korea is a monumental piece of artistry that will stay with me as an unprecedented experience from the festival – forming part of the Korean Season for Edinburgh Fringe this year. The Korean season has simply been awe inspiring, beautifully unique in the palette of what is on offer this year, from physical theatre to musicals. What is clear is ARI: The Spirit of Korea does not disappoint and is an outstanding piece of musical theatre that celebrates the culture and heritage within South Korea’s Gangwon Province, in Jeongseon. From the stunning choreographed dance sequences to the imagination placed in each set construction – the directors, designers and cast create a magical world that will take you back to your childhood and connect you to your family, friends and the merriment we truly witness when we see something magical – that was this story. I am still thinking about this and will for some time. The joy and beauty is everywhere, from the tips of the actors feet, to the animated elation in the casts’ smiles in each dance – and the radiant costumes – each character could have jumped out of a traditional 5th century Korean painting, no detail was overlooked here. Directed by Junghwan Yoon and Hanchang Lim, the visionary storytellers behind this eighteen membered cast – A must see. Congratulations to all involved.
Review
When you enter the Assembly Hall in all it’s glory, you are welcomed by a beautiful cast, interacting with audience members in the most elegant and defined costumes from South Korea, which can only be described as a rainbow fusion of colour, texture and exquisite seams that represent the history, ancestry and evolution of the Hanbok, ‘Hanbok does not describe a certain design or shape of clothes, but serves as an umbrella term that encompasses thousands of years of Korean clothing.’ The actors wore these garments with pride, physically embodying the vibrancy and elegance of the Hanbok culture – placing us straight into a celebration and a celebration of the best kind. A celebration of two worlds coming together, which soon evolves into the making of life – the making of baby Ari. This was beautifully marked with the designers illustrations and projections, as a dim light highlights a small area, filling the room with happiness and joy at this new life, the birth of Ari (the motivation for the driving force of this story).
What soon evolves – a new life that brings hope – yes, but also a need for new beginnings and adventures – Ari’s father (Shin – Ki-mok) slowly has to uproot himself and cross new boarders to get work as a wood cutter, ‘fly like the wind, flow like the river.’ What is astonishing here is how the cast and designers create this physical landscape of transportation from the rhythmic boat, to the mountain illustrations – all supported by the workers, cutting trees into carefully placed segments with red illuminated torches – resilient, hopeful – they work until the sun goes down. The eighteen membered casts’ ebullience was infectious – inspiring. You sit back in admiration; amazing choreography here by Sunghee Cho, which is supported by the design team to make these visuals happen. The choreography was effortless, rapid and vibrant – watching the trees diminish in size with carefully considered reactions from all the cast members was a wonderful moment. Each ensemble member performed with gravitas and elegance to demonstrate the new landscapes Shin – Ki-mok finds himself in, whilst paying homage to the history and heritage of South Korea. Supporting the narrative is a series of translations on two screens – at times I would glance for clarification, but the story-telling is transferable to all as you find yourself getting lost in the imagination of each visual dance, movement or transition – It’s simply outstanding.
Shin – Ki-mok’s journey is admirable and full of new challenges when he reaches Hanyang, which slowly take it’s toll on his physical and mental health. So much so, he begins to lose the essence of who he was or where he came from. Meanwhile, in his hometown his daughter Ari has grown up and has an infectious energy and passion for life – baring resemblance to her father. Shin – Ki-mok’s mother has aged significantly and struggles with the prolonged absence of her son. There are moments in this story that will move you greatly, the composition of how the song evolves through the different characters and locations, signifies beautifully the passing of time and marks the hopeful outlook of the characters in times of substantial grief or sadness. When looking up the significance and symbolism of this song, it has multiple meanings that can explore the fragments of separation whilst remaining hopeful – this was the exceptional balance here from Seunghoon Park (Composer) and Sangho Lee (Percussion Director) in their ability to craft the wonderful melodies that united the character, the audience – the Korean culture. Simply breathtaking.
This musical brings joy that leaves you feeling uplifted, grateful and will resonate with you after you leave. This is a festival highlight and every cast member, designer, collaborator and director deserves recognition for the life that has been breathed into the story of Arirang, thank you for bringing this 600 year old Korean folk song to Edinburgh, there won’t be a single person not humming the tune of, ‘Arirang, arirang, arariyo,’ when they leave the theatre. This is a masterpiece and a musical I would love to see again. Outstanding.
