Review: MAMA DON'T CRY at Art One Theater, An Offer That You Can't Refuse

When you hear the title, MAMA DON'T CRY, what comes to your mind? Maybe, a heartbreaking family story or a sad song about a child that turns over a new leaf and regrets one's past actions? Whatever that pops up into your mind, MAMA DON'T CRY the musical will surprise you in every aspect. One of Korea's most beloved well-made musicals, MAMA DON'T CRY came back for its 5th performance with a rather big cast, a total of 13 actors in a two-hander.

Unlike some shows, where you can grasp the story by looking at the poster, that is not the case for MAMA DON'T CRY. When first seeing the poster, I expected a heavy story with more of a dark and serious tone; however, the performance was nothing of what I had expected. MAMA DON'T CRY is a story about a child prodigy who wants to be loved and a vampire who wants to die. Though the two have different desires, they manage to make a deal that seems to accomplish each of what they want. With a 100 minute running time, the show gives a unique performance with a wonderful story that has a balance of comedy and suspense and a variety of different music genres.

The stage of MAMA DON'T CRY is fairly simple with different wooden frames that have numbers written over it. As one of the motifs is time travel, the numbers represent different time periods. There are not as many props used which makes the show very compact and organized. Also, because there are not many decorations, the audience's attention could mainly be focused on the acting and singing.

The two characters, Professor V and Count Dracula are different but somewhat similar in that they both have desires that cannot be accomplished with one's sole effort. Professor V, a child prodigy, lives a successful life in going to university when only he is 12 years old and becoming the youngest professor, however, there is one thing that he wants more than anything else, which is to be loved by the one woman he loves. On the other hand, Count Dracula is a vampire admired by both men and women; however who believes that he is cursed with the pain of eternal time. Professor V goes back in time to meet Count Dracula and make a deal with him that comes with a very dangerous cost.

The show consists of a balance between suspense and comedy. During the first part of the show, where Professor V is the main character, the whole atmosphere is mostly bright and warm with many comedic parts. There are many songs that have cheerful tunes and the lighting consists of yellow and warm colors. However, from the scene where Count Dracula appears, the lights become dimmer and the songs have more of a slow rhythm. Also, interestingly, in this show, Count Dracula is associated with the moon and is expressed as the illegitimate child of the moon. So there is a striking contrast of the bright moon in the background and the overall dark lighting of the stage.

This year's performance of MAMA DON'T CRY has the biggest cast so far. 6 actors were cast for the role of Professor V and 7 actors for the role of Count Dracula. Some of the actors are original performers from the past performances and some are rookie starts that have just started their acting career. Not only that, for the same role, a diversity of ages exits. So it is interesting to see how each actor acts out their interpretation of each character. Also, due to this, each show becomes unique because every actor has a different vocal range, therefore leading the songs to sound differently depending on who the person is.

MAMA DON'T CRY was a show that definitely surprised me the most because it was nothing that I had expected. However, due to this, it led me to enjoy the show more without thinking of any of the prejudices I could have. The combination of an interesting story and various music genres made the show pleasant to enjoy. Also, though the character of a "vampire" could seem very cliché, how the story managed to make sure the character seemed one of a kind by giving various roles that a person who lives forever could do, made the show also become one of a kind.

The invitation to meet Count Dracula is until July 15th. Tickets start at 40,000 and can be purchased at the ticket box and online at www.interparkglobal.com. Be sure to check the cast prior to buying the tickets.

For more information, please visit www.interparkglobal.com.

Photo: Yes24 Ticket