Lee Ja Ram will perform at the Hyundai Card Understage as a Sorikkun, for the first time in 3 years (Photography by Hyundai Card Understage)

“‘Batang’ is a traditional Pansori performance that I will probably put on stage from time to time until the day I die. It’s an interpretation of Pansori language, which may sound so very foreign and alien, into modern day language. I go on stage with all traditional singing techniques as they are.” This is how Lee Ja Ram describes her show ‘Batang’, which will take place in the Hyundai Card Understage on May 4th and 5th. ‘Batang’ is Lee Ja Ram’s first show in 3 years as a Sorikkun since her 2016 ‘A stranger’s song’ performance. ‘Batang’ refers to an episode of Pansori, and the title ‘Batang’ also encompasses the meaning of ‘having a big round of fun’. It also is a story about what Lee Ja Ram’s ‘Batang (background)’ is, who goes beyond traditional Pansori and have suggested various possibilities of Pansori.

Lee Ja Ram’s choice of Batang is ‘Sugungga’ (Photography by Hyundai Card Understage)

Lee Ja Ram’s choice of Batang is ‘Sugungga’. It’s an interesting Pansori that tells a story of a rabbit’s liver needed to cure the Dragon King’s disease. ‘Sugungga’ itself is a fable, and there are numerous debates and discussions between characters ？ it’s one of the most witty and funny stories among the five Pansori Batangs. Sorikkun is a storyteller, but at the same time is tens of different characters in the story. Seeing different characters realized through Sorikkun’s body is as fascinating as face changing. What would Lee Ja Ram look like as she transforms into creatures such as rabbit, turtle, and various sea animals?

Seeking out Pansori that could have been born in the 21st century

‘Sacheonga’ is a Pansori interpretation of the German producer Brecht’s ‘The Good Person of Szechwan’. (Photography by Doosan Art Center)

It was difficult to see Sorikkun Lee Ja Ram on stage for the past 3 years. She chose to take a sabbatical until she was recharged and she ‘had the desire to do my own work’. Looking back, the past 10 years were a time of her great appetite for creativity. Brecht’s ‘The Good Person of Szechwan’, which mocks capitalism, was sung by Lee Ja Ram as ‘Sacheonga’ where Soondeok, who was looked down on for being overweight, makes a revenge as a man of a fine presence. Soondeok, who fought all sorts of discrimination, rudeness, and poverty in a world where good deeds go unnoticed, was a character created through the agony of the then 28-year-old Lee Ja Ram.

Another Brecht’s work, ‘Mother Courage and Her Children’, which tells the story of a mother living through another country’s war to make ends meet for 3 children who have different fathers, became ‘Eokcheokga’. ‘Sacheonga’ and ‘Eokcheokga’ were works of modern format for instrumental arrangement, stage and choreography, based on the traditional Pansori’s genre traits. Both works showed much possibility of Pansori to the audience while the many parts of the world began to take notice of Lee Ja Ram. But despite much praise with some even calling her ‘national treasure’, Lee Ja Ram made it clear: “I’m not doing this out of a sense of duty for Pansori, never.”

The main character in ‘An Ugly Person, Murder’ shows a great will for life amidst pain and discrimination (Photography by Doosan Art Center)

What Lee Ja Ram knows best and does best is Pansori, that’s all. She ‘uses’ Pansori as a pathway to convey a story she wants to tell. As Pansori’s characteristic is being spread ‘mouth to mouth’, Lee Ja Ram grew up learning from old teachers since young. What Lee Ja Ram learned from people who have clear reason and purpose in their work and those who never fool themselves is protecting yourself. That’s why she focused on short stories since ‘Sacheonga’ and ‘Eokcheokga’.

There was the question of ‘is there something other than Pansori that takes the audience somewhere completely new?’ The answer to this was ‘An Ugly Person, Murder’ (2014), a Pansori work that have turned Joo Yo Seop’s short story and ‘Stranger’s Song’ (2015), a Batang based on the Columbian writer Gabriel Garcia Marques’ novel. ‘An Ugly Person, Murder’ is a work that gives a try in a new genre within a short running time while ‘Stranger’s Song’ focuses on finding layers of sensitive emotions and senses flowing in silence in a certain space.

The lead character in ‘Sonyeoga’ goes through dangers without help from anyone (Photography by Theater of Korea)

What was found during the course was the voice of an alive woman. Maybe this is obvious and inevitable for Lee Ja Ram, who have made it her goal to create Pansori for the 21st century and who focuses on what stimulates her. In her works, there are women transcending times, countries, ages, and roles. They who have left where they grew up and start a new life in a new place face pain and discrimination.

But they refuse to give up their will for life even when they hear things like “Ugly gives birth to the ugly”. (‘An Ugly Person’) Sometimes they murder someone who have completely ruined their life (‘Murder’) and make their way through life with their wit rather than getting help from someone else in the face of death (‘Sonyeoga’). Lee Ja Ram looks at such people who break down so many customs the society asks of women and go on in a positive way. And she does not monopolize on such roles but shares them with other women Sorikkun such as Kim So Jin, Lee Seung Hee, Lee Na Rae, etc. to create more point of contact with the audience.

Something new grows out of strong roots.

‘Farewell My Concubine’ tries to combine Beijing opera and Changgeuk (Photography by Theater of Korea)

From 2017, she’s been collaborating with the National Changgeuk Company of Korea which has been preparing new Changgeuk while facing ‘what Pansori should be like’. Working with those who make Pansori a living freed her, which as a result allows her to boldly collaborate with genres and media she didn’t dare before. Recently, they have tried to combine Beijing opera and Changgeuk through ‘Farewell My Concubine’ (2019). Lee Ja Ram’s long-standing respect for Beijing opera was realized through the completion of music works that referenced all five Pansori Batangs.

For the past 10 years, Lee Ja Ram went beyond play, novel, children’s stories and poem, and created SF, thriller and comedy through creative Pansori. She always finds fun in new environment and is not at all hesitant in creating something new, focusing on her personal changes. ‘Batang’ being Sorikkun Lee Ja Ram’s resurrection work since ‘Farewell My Concubine’ says a lot. She believes only those who have roots on firm foundation can do new things. After releasing one creative Pansori after another, she never forgot to practice traditional Pansori because of this belief. She’s an artist who always knows where she’s standing, looks at her environment objectively, and puts forward her happiness above anything. Audience finds out through Lee Ja Ram not just the attraction of Pansori; through her we listen to the voice of woman who survives life, focus on senses, and take in new culture. If art can change one’s life, wouldn’t it be something like this?

Sorikkun Lee Ja Ram, Pansori series 'Batang'
Dates May 4th (Sat) ~ May 5th (Sun), 2019
Venue Hyundai Card Understage

Written by Jang Kyung Jin (Performance columnist)Worked for web-magazine 10 Asia and Ize as contents producer and performance journalist. For 12 years, she have been focusing on the attitudes of people who realize immaterial thoughts on stage material.