Pansori star Kim Jun-su takes on Lady Macbeth in martial arts drama 'Macbeth with Sword'

Star pansori performer Kim Jun-su, until recently with the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, is striking out on his own.

His first project as an independent actor is “Macbeth with Sword,” a production by the Korean theater company Playfactory Mabangzen, led by the celebrated theater director Ko Sun-woong. The show will run at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul from Feb. 27 through March 15. It also marks Kim’s first foray into theater.

Speaking at a recent press event at Mapo Arts Center in Seoul, Kim said he had long felt a pull toward dramatic acting. “I’ve taken on many roles in different productions, but I still felt a thirst for acting. I wanted to see if I could stand onstage and be judged purely on my acting.”

First staged in 2010, the award-winning “Macbeth with Sword” drew critical praise for its witty reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” Ko recast the Scottish play as a martial-arts drama, relocating the story to a near-future correctional facility. The production explores ambition and brutality through stylized combat, kinetic choreography, and rapid-fire dialogue laced with wordplay.

Kim will play Lady Macbeth, the wife who drives the title character toward ruin -- a role written as female in the original but here performed by a male actor. This is not his first time playing a female character. During his time with the National Changgeuk Company, he portrayed women in changgeuk, or Korean traditional opera, productions such as “Salome” and “Farewell My Concubine.”

“I wondered whether there was something new I could bring to a female character, and whether it would feel fresh and compelling to audiences,” Kim said. Ultimately, he added, the distinctive appeal of Ko’s work persuaded him to accept the offer.

Ko said the decision to revive the decade-old play stemmed from the work’s enduring themes. “It is a story about desire that ultimately leads to self-destruction. Even as time passes, the central theme remains the same. Theater should not be detached from reality; it must reflect the spirit of the times and fragments of human nature.”

He added that the revival would incorporate adjustments based on feedback from the premiere, including slowing the pace of dialogue.

The production kicks off the 20th-anniversary season of Playfactory Mabangzen. Reflecting on the company’s history, Ko said he first conceived the production around its 5th anniversary, wondering if the troupe was ready to tackle Shakespeare.

“The actors who appeared in the original are now in their 40s and 50s. Their chemistry has changed and the martial arts carry a different texture. So that felt fitting for a 20th-anniversary opening,” he added.

The anniversary season will feature a series of major works by the company. In March, the company will bring back “King Lear: Apocrypha,” a twist on Shakespeare’s tragedy. From April through June, it will present a modern reinterpretation of the 1930s melodrama “The Tragic Story of Hongdo the Courtesan.” Other productions include the tragedy “Camel Box” and the family musical “The Tale of the Rabbit.”

Ko’s new works will also premiere later in the year. “Two Scenes,” created in collaboration with the Mapo Arts Center, is set in a co-working office and centers on a suicide incident. “Teahouse,” based on the 1957 play by Lao She, will feature more than 40 actors and is scheduled for December.