I think about 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds] often. I think about G.O ‘s incredible performance in the short and powerful run the show had back in May 2014. I think about how important the role of Prince Ho Dong was for him and in many ways, how it most likely helped pave the way for other potential idol-turned-musical actors to be cast in a Seoul Arts Group production. I think about it all with incredible awe and fondness. And, I think about how special each curtain call must have felt for G.O when he stood upon the CJ Towol Theatre stage being appreciated for his courageous and tender performance.
Have you ever experienced those moments of such absolute excitement when you find it hard to catch your breath? When I watch fan cam videos of G.O’s first 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds] performance curtain call, I don’t know if it is relief, excitement, awe, gratitude or a combination of all of that and more that I see G.O experiencing as he took his first bow.
He appears to have been breathing very deeply, right? Maybe his heart was beating so fast and so hard he had to find a way to calm himself and navigate the emotions.
As he began to settle into each performance, perhaps he felt more at ease, more accomplished with every curtain call. Still, I feel he wore absolute gratitude each time. Not just a ‘hey thanks’ but more like ‘from the depths of my heart, thank you.’
And, that appreciation was not directed to the audience only. I think G.O was sincerely grateful for the opportunity to work with such a prestigious theater group. Without question, it elevated his performance. No truer test came than on the evening of 16 May 2014 when at the opening of the second act (the act where his Ho Dong has the most lines and perhaps biggest musical number), his mic failed. G.O did not stumble. He did not falter. He showed his fellow actors and the audience that he was (and will always remain) a true professional. The May 16th performance was the first time I saw G.O perform in 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds] and even though I was so worried for him when his mic failed, I am thrilled to have been in the audience when musical actress Go Mi Kyung took a moment at curtain call to acknowledge his professionalism.
So proud of him!
By his final performance, G.O most assuredly reached a comfort level that allowed him to extend his love forthright during curtain call to those in appreciation of his work on the 바람의나라 stage. And it was absolutely precious.
Oh that I could turn back the hands of time to revisit every moment I saw him on the musical theater stage. It is an experience I will not soon forget.
Hopefully, G.O’s time on the Seoul Arts musical stage (as well as the Gwanghwamun Sonata and Seopyeonje stages) revealed a mystery that even he himself was not aware. Perhaps he discovered that by pulling back the layers of his idol persona, he recognized a vast and deep component of his art that needed to be explored and shown to the world. And inasmuch as G.O probably feels he is leagues behind most musical theater actors, he needs to accept the fact that we, his fans, see so much more, and that his short time on the musical theater stage (thus far) was only the tip of the iceberg for what he is capable of doing as a musical actor. In fact, G.O must realize that everything he sets his dreams, his goals and most importantly, his heart on, is simply waiting on him to arrive and achieve.
Please enjoy this compilation of G.O curtain calls from 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds]:
~♥~