KOR
The hit play "Closer," which has received immense love as both a film and a theatrical production, is returning with a 2026 version.
A press conference was held on the afternoon of the 2nd at Eum Art Center in Daehangno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, attended by director Kim Ji-ho along with actors Oh Man-Seok, Bae Seong-bin, Hong Woo-jin, Choi Kang-hee, Lisa, Jang Hee-jin, Hong Jong-hyun, Kang Young-seok, Lee Do-yoon, So Joo-yeon, and Lee Na-eun.
"Closer" is based on the play of the same name by British playwright Patrick Marber. Since its London premiere in 1997, it has been performed consistently, and it was also adapted into a film in 2004. Kim Ji-ho, who handled the adaptation, dramaturgy, and direction in 2024, is returning to direct this season's stage.
The cast features Oh Man-Seok, Bae Seong-bin, and Hong Woo-jin as Larry; Choi Kang-hee, Lisa, and Jang Hee-jin as Anna; Hong Jong-hyun, Kang Young-seok, and Lee Do-yoon as Dan; and Jeon Sung-min, So Joo-yeon, and Lee Na-eun as Alice. Aside from Kang Young-seok, Hong Jong-hyun, Lee Do-yoon, Choi Kang-hee, and Lee Na-eun are all taking on their very first theatrical production since their debuts.
Regarding the casting, Director Kim Ji-ho stated, "Working with completely different people on the same project is a tremendous stroke of luck as a director. The practice room has no downtime, and my mind has no downtime. We are sharing, talking, and dividing things up."
Explaining the casting background, he said, "We only chose people who are extremely handsome and talented. When casting male characters like Dan or Larry, I think we looked for individuals who could tailor those images more to the current era." He emphasized, "Anna is also a character who is easy to misunderstand and could get a bit overshadowed, but Anna steps forward and shines. Everyone prepared their respective characters with distinct individuality. I am satisfied because this casting was prepared right to that exact point."
When asked about points of interest for audiences who watched the film version of "Closer," he replied, "It's a film that received so much love, and in my impression, the film leans close to a melodrama. Without necessarily wanting to compare, we are preparing this as a love story, but in a direction that is neither sweet nor sticky."
He added, "The original author seems to view love in our reality—which differs from ideals—with both pity and cynicism simultaneously. We are trying to express more rawly how hatred and love can coexist, where people can be a bit colder and laugh at one another while still loving. We want to keep the lines dry and concise, and if people remember the current film and its hazy, beautiful images, we want to make it comfortable so they can accept the emotional entanglements and relationship entanglements of these characters."
Addressing how the gap between the original work's era 30 years ago and the present was bridged, he said, "While the emotion of love is always with us, I believe that emotion differs by era. 'Closer' is a work that shows how painful the conflicts of love are, rather than calling the beautiful aspects of love beautiful." He explained, "I don't think the way people get hurt by love varies much across eras. We are neutralizing the expression of emotions by making them a bit drier, through things like purifying the language or using expressions we currently use."
In response to a question implying that the level of expression has been toned down compared to the original work, he stated, "The tone of the work and things like that are no different from before. We are just bringing out a bit more of what was not expressed in previous seasons." He continued, "The level of expression can vary depending on the translation, but the original work is not all that rough. There seemed to be some misunderstandings while translating English into Korean. Expressing it matte-style remains the same." He added, "We are organizing things really fiercely, and we are fully taking contemporary aspects into consideration."
Meanwhile, "Closer" will be performed from September 15 to December 6 at YES24 Stage Hall 2 in Dongsung-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
Video News
