Taking the lead roles in musical "A Thousand Blues," K-pop singers discuss how the musical has changed them for better
The musical adaptation of “A Thousand Blues,” which premiered in May last year, is returning this month and bringing two K-pop stars back to musical theater -- Jinho of boy group Pentagon and Hyojung of girl group Oh My Girl.
Seoul Performing Arts Company's production of "A Thousand Blues," a musical based on Cheon Seon-ran's acclaimed sci-fi novel of the same name, has changed both Jinho and Hyojung, the actors said in a recent joint media interview.
Playing the role of Collie, a humanoid jockey, Jinho shared that his personality has shifted from a "Thinking" type (in MBTI terms) to a "Feeling" type.
“I am the biggest beneficiary of this work. I'm really bad at expressing myself. My usual personality is a bit stiff, and that's how others see me. But Collie starts stiff and gradually opens up. He expresses himself and unintentionally connects with people, which makes him open his heart a little more. I also became more comfortable expressing myself and talking to people. Now, I make small talk, share silly jokes, and fun stories, and I hear a lot that I've become brighter,” the singer, songwriter, composer and vocal coach, said.
Performing a robot being accidentally equipped with a chip containing a thousand words and becoming interactive with humans has also changed his thoughts about robots.
“When I first received the script, I really wondered if I should play him completely like a robot. However, overserving how fast artificial intelligence like ChatGPT became commercialized in the past year and considering this work depicts 10 years later, I was thinking about how far AI would evolve and where it would go by then,” Jinho said. As a result, Jinho performs Collie with a burst of emotions by the musical's end.
Set in 2035, when humanoid robots are commercialized, "A Thousand Blues" revolves around a humanoid named Collie, created as a jockey, and the racehorse Today. Two sisters, Yeon-jae and Eun-hye, their mother Bo-gyeong join the duo on their journey of recovery from devastating situations while exploring their connections.
In her role as Yeon-jae, Hyojung, who debuted in musical theater with this production last year, stated that "A Thousand Blues" enabled her to imagine a future of coexistence with advanced technology.
“While working on 'A Thousand Blues,' I felt a lot that this might happen in the near future. I definitely felt that this is how the era is changing. For example, when Yeon-jae gets fired from a convenience store, service robot Betty comes out to do part-time work, just like how robots are delivering things at restaurants these days."
The musical also allowed her to confront her own pain of loss.
“Like Yeon-jae's family, my dad passed away when I was young. It's been about eight years since I last talked about my dad, so I thought maybe Yeon-jae's deficiency might be similar to the deficiency I have. I didn't really know how to bring it up before, but now I'm thinking maybe it's okay to talk about it. I think about my mom a lot,” Hyojung said.
Reflecting on the impact of advancing technology on their careers as K-pop artists and musical theater performers, Jinho expressed uncertainty about AI's potential to replace live emotional performances.
"It might sound presumptuous, but I question whether AI can truly convey the raw emotion I feel while singing," he said. "Seeing a live show is a unique experience that I believe is hard to replicate, though I could be proven wrong."
Hyojung added, "While the future is uncertain, I see the possibility of AI replacing some aspects of girl and boy groups. This technology fulfills a need, and I think it's amazing that AI could recreate me, bringing joy and memories to fans even if I were no longer here. I have faith in science and technology."
Seoul Performing Arts Company's "A Thousand Blues" runs at Haeoreum Grand Theater of the National Theater of Korea until March 7. Ticket prices range from 30,000 won ($21) to 110,000 won.