What I liked
The staging (incl. lighting design, the two musicians) was simple and perfect. The acting was OUTSTANDING from all three performers. There’s no way you’ll convince me the kid who played Gayageum is in HIGH SCHOOL?? Not with that voice! That was a grown-ass man’s voice!
The torture and fly-away scene was amazingly done both visually and physically.
I didn’t know what this was about when I purchased my ticket. It sounded interesting and I like history. I had no idea about attempted forced erasure of religion by Imperial Japan when it occupied Korea. Telling that history through this simple, gorgeous and deeply empathic presentation is a win all around.
What I didn't like
I couldn’t read a single word of the prologue, and struggled to read the captions throughout. I asked a few other audience after the show if they could summarize what the prologue said, and none of them could. No one that I talked to could make it out.
White font against a black background is not a great idea in general – TINY white font against a black background is a Hard NO. If you’re going to stick with white font against a black background, increase the size of the font by a lot.
My overall impression
Simply staged and beautifully acted, this emotionally powerful work delivers a huge wallop in a short time. This is how history should be taught.
