Thanks to Colin Bartlett for passing on the news of this interesting and well-reviewed production in Bath:
Wild Goose Dreams
by Hansol Jung, directed by Michael Boyd
Ustinov Studio | Theatre Royal Bath | Sawclose | Bath BA1 1ET | www.theatreroyal.org.uk
Thursday 21 November — Sat 21 December 2019 | Book tickets
Evenings: Mon – Sat 7.45pm | Thurs & Sat Matinees: 2.30pm
Post Show Discussion: Thursday 5 December after evening performance
Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes
photo: Simon Annand
Michael Boyd directs Hansol Jung’s fascinating and unforgettable twenty-first century love story.
Two lonely people from two divided cultures meet on an online dating site. Guk Minsung is a “goose father”, a South Korean man whose wife and daughter have moved to America in search of a better life. Yoo Nanhee is a young defector from North Korea, haunted by memories of the father she left behind.
The would-be lovers struggle to find quiet intimacy and genuine connection in a clamorous digital world where tenderness and touch have been replaced by likes and shares.
Featuring a chorus, music and a penguin, this is a lyrical, darkly humorous and strikingly original play which receives its UK premiere in the Ustinov Studio direct from an acclaimed off-Broadway run.
Hansol Jung is a playwright and director from South Korea whose other works include Cardboard Piano, Among the Dead and No More Sad Things.
Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 2002 to 2012, Michael Boyd’s recent productions include Tamburlaine for the RSC and The Open House, Right Now and The Big Meal at the Ustinov Studio.
★★★★”A funny and sensitive story of lonely hearts in Seoul… Hansol Jung’s thoughtful and funny play, brought to life with flair by Michael Boyd” Guardian
★★★★ “All eight actors are excellent, the production values are high… it is refreshing to see a work that sheds light upon a culture about which many of us know very little” StageTalk Magazine
★★★★ “Fascinating, innovative drama… London Kim and Chuja Seo convey their characters with remarkable intensity, both separately and as a yearning couple” Bristol Post
“Clever and multi-faceted production, crowded with ideas and chock-full of captivating and well-balanced performances” British Theatre Guide
“A good play that offers some real insight into two extraordinary countries… an excellent showcase for a phenomenal cast” Whatsonstage
“A strikingly original drama that conveys the harsh reality of oppressive regimes through the intimacy of one couple” Bath Chronicle
“Under Michael Boyd’s direction the pace is tight and the Ustinov has produced yet another interesting UK premiere well worth seeing” Western Daily Press
Cast + creatives
JESSIE BAEK – Heejin/Ensemble
JON CHEW – Ensemble
RICK KIESEWETTER – Father/Ensemble
LONDON KIM – Guk Minsung
VINCENT LAI – Man/Ensemble
CHUJA SEO – Yoo Nanhee
MOMO YEUNG – Wife/Ensemble
CRYSTAL YU – Woman/Ensemble
Designer – Jean Chan
Lighting Design – Colin Grenfell
Casting Director – Ginny Schiller CDG
Wild Goose Dreams is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH LTD, a Concord Theatricals Company
