한국의 대표적 공연 연출가 박칼린의 “미스터 쇼”가 지난 27일 서울 마포구 서교동 롯데카드아트센터에서 화려한 막을 올렸다.
공연장은 20대부터 60대까지 다양한 연령층의 여성의 열렬한 환호성과 호응으로 가득 찼다. 박 감독의 “섹시 버라이어티 쇼”를 관람한 여성들은 커튼콜이 끝났음에도 불구하고 쉽게 자리에 일어나지 못하는 모습을 볼 수 있었다.
“남성 출입불가 (Ladies Only)” 라는 문구에 걸맞게 본 공연은 70분 내내 오직 8명의 남성 출연진만 등장한다. 근육질 남성들은 순식간에 셔츠를 찢고 바지를 내리는 등 과감한 퍼포먼스를 서슴치 않는다. 뿐만 아니라 출연진이 직접 내려와 칵테일을 관객들에게 나누어주기도 하며 함께 춤을 추고 사진을 찍는 모습도 볼 수 있다.
“미스터 쇼”에 등장하는 훤칠한 키에 선명한 식스팩을 자랑하는 남성 엔터테이너들은 전문 배우가 아니라 오디션을 통해 선발된 모델, 트레이너, 보디빌더 출신들이다. 이들을 박 감독의 혹독한 트레이닝 덕에 두 달 만에 배우로 재탄생 했다.
박 감독은 이러한 공연을 오랫동안 구상해 왔다고 전했다. 대본은 이미 12년 전에 완성했으나, 적당한 타이밍을 찾지 못해 늦어졌다고 한다. 박 감독은 공연에 대하여 “모든 여성들이 그저 하루 나와서 즐기고 가면 되는 공연” 이라며 “남자친구나 남편 신경 쓰지 않고 자기의 본능에 충실하면 된다,”고 설명했다.
박 감독은 자신과 공연에 대한 보도에 대해 주의를 기울이지 않는다고 말했다. “워낙 예민한 성격이라 공연에 대한 글 하나하나를 읽다 보면 지금 이 자리에 있을 수 없었을 거에요,” 라고 그녀는 말했다. “그래도 몇몇 남자 기자분들께서 “미스터 쇼”를 부정적으로 바라 보신다는 이야기는 들었어요,” 박 감독은 덧붙였다.
그러나 너무 외설스러운 공연이 아니냐는 지적에도 불구하고, 박 감독은 본 공연에 대하여 “섹시하고 뜨거운 공연이지만 유쾌하고 깨끗한 쇼”라고 자신했다.
현재 박 감독은 “미스터 쇼” 외에 뮤지컬 “고스트” 의 음악 감독과 버라이어티 공연 “카붐”의 기획을 맡고 있다. 박 감독은 또한 미국 유대인 가족에게 입양되는 한국인에 대한 이야기를 그린 “에어포트 베이비”라는 뮤지컬을 2년 내에 선보일 포부를 밝혔다.
Sexy variety show for women, by a woman
The 70-minute show billed as a “sexy variety show” exclusively for women left many in the audience reeling from giddiness even after the curtain had gone down.
The sight of eight good-looking young men with ripped bodies ― six-packs, pecs, deltoids and biceps ― tearing off their shirts with abandon, pulling down their pants in the blink of an eye, and lap-dancing for women pulled on to the stage from the audience had the women, ranging in age from 20s to 60s, clapping wildly, squealing with delight, howling and yelling.
“The audience is usually rowdier than the crowd tonight,” says Kolleen Park, the director of “Mr. Show,” after taking a sip from a mug of Kirin draft beer during an interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday night. That evening’s invitation-only staging had just ended.
“Mr. Show” director Kolleen Park poses at the Lotte Card Art Center in Seogyo-dong, Seoul, on Thursday. (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald)
Park had been thinking about putting on a sexy variety show featuring an all-male cast for a women-only audience for a long time ― she had written the script 12 years ago ― but the timing was not right, until now.
“Mr. Show” features eight separate episodes, each with a theme based on costumes. One episode features the men in white T-shirts and blue jeans while the final episode has them wearing shiny gold uniforms with aviator sunglasses.
“Costumes are a bit of someone’s fantasy and they give guys a reason to take off their clothes,” she explains.
“The idea is for women to have fun, go home and laugh about it,” she explains. The absence of men makes it possible for the women to be themselves, without being anxious about what their boyfriends or husbands would think and having to act “properly.”
“It alludes to the nakedness, sexuality. But it is very clean fun,” she adds, dismissing concerns that the show may be lewd.
As there is only one professional actor in the group ― “the boys,” as Park refers to them, include a model, personal trainer and body builder ― there were concerns initially whether they could be whipped into stage performers in just two months. However, the staff was moved to tears on the opening night, seeing how far the boys had come, Park recalls fondly. To achieve the look and the attitude, the performers rehearsed for 10 hours and hit the gym for three hours daily.
Parks admits to never reading media reports about her shows. “I could not be where I am today if I read them because I am so sensitive,” she says. But she is aware of the reports. “I’ve heard many male reporters have negative views about ‘Mr. Show.’
Asked about her male fantasy ― after all, “Mr. Show” is about fulfilling women’s male fantasies, according to the press release ― Park replies, “I don’t think I have a fantasy. I find it attractive when men put everything into their work, showing dedication to what they are doing, showing their passion for it.
“The boys’ dedication is such a turn-on,” she adds.
What about the claim that the show answers women’s fantasies? “These fantasies are based on ‘research,’ talking with girlfriends and life experiences,” she explains.
Pressed further to put a face on her fantasy man, she blurts out a completely unexpected name: “Peter O’Toole is the love of my life, has been always,” she says. Best known here for his role in “Lawrence of Arabia,” O’Toole died last year.
“Mr. Show” is tame compared to male revues in Las Vegas, which, in Park’s words, are “more raunchy.” “I don’t think I’ve seen this sort of jolly, clean fun, sexy show. There is no parallel in women’s revues either,” Park says.
“Korean women go completely wild and I didn’t want to scare the boys,” she says. The performers are in their mid-20s to early 30s and making them feel safe and not exploited was a big concern.
Contrary to Park’s worries, the boys are having the time of their life. “They’re really enjoying it. One of them said ‘thank you’ on the first preview night,” she says with a glint of pride.
The musical industry’s reaction was one of curiosity. “They thought it was just Kolleen doing something. It took people by surprise,” she says.
Reading people
Being a good judge of character is a strength to which she attributes her success. “I am very good at reading people and this means that I’m good at casting,” she explains. “My parents taught us (their children) how to look at the world in a big way. I was able to ‘see’ people.” Park is the youngest of three sisters born to a Korean father and a Lithuanian-American mother. She grew up shuttling between Busan and California before she returned for a long stint of studying Korean traditional music at Seoul National University’s graduate school.
She is also a good listener, which enables her to gather great people around her, she says.
Her sensitivity ― “every pore in my body absorbs it” ― while potentially debilitating, allows Park to empathize easily with people and animals.
In fact, she is a goodwill ambassador for an association for Sapsalgae, an indigenous dog breed. “My dog, at 15, is the oldest Sapsalgae in Korea,” she boasts. She is delighted that the World Wildlife Foundation has arrived in Korea and is looking forward to serving it in some way, she says.
Park released her second book earlier this year and is currently involved in two other stage projects: “Ghost,” which she is supervising, and “Kaboom,” a variety show featuring the story of backstreet artists.
“My mind is on variety shows now. I have a plan for a second version of ‘Mr. Show’ that would be very different from the current one,” she says. “I am not locked into a genre. I like my variety.”
Park bemoans the state of the local musical scene today. “The industry has back-pedaled in the last three to four years. Now, it has turned into a massive fan club-based industry,” she observes in frustration with the audience. “Our audience has gone a little haywire in terms of how to view a musical. So, the quality (of musicals) has dropped incredibly. Musicals right now are not fun for me,” she says.
Not all is lost, however. She is waiting for quality musicals to return in about three to four years. “Now we are getting people who trained abroad properly in musical writing returning to Korea,” she says.
Park plans on premiering a new musical in about two years. “‘Airport Baby’ is a musical based on the story of a Korean who was adopted by a Jewish family in the States,” she reveals. It will be half in English and half in Korean, she adds.
Park ― whose strong charisma was on full display in the 2010 KBS show “Men’s Qualification,” on which she trained a group, including several well-known television personalities, to compete in a choral contest ― reveals a nurturing side when she talks about the future.
“I’ve got my gang, much younger than me, actors, writers, music performers. I want to be ironing their shirts when they are on tours,” she says, smiling softly as she envisions the scene.
In return, she made them promise to pay her 500,000 won for snacks every month.
By Kim Hoo-ran, Senior writer (
khooran@heraldcorp.com)