From page to stage: Musical writer Choun See-un reflects on London debut of 'Marie Curie'

[Interview] Making its English-language debut at London's Charing Cross Theatre, “Marie Curie” follows the namesake character’s pursuit of scientific truth despite its potentially devastating side effects.

The West End cast of "Marie Curie" gives a live performance of the show at London's Trafalgar Square during West End LIVE on June 22. [LIVE]

[Interview]

An empowering feminist musical about Nobel Prize winning Polish scientist Marie Curie premiered in London last month. Its roots, however, are over 5,000 miles across the globe, in Korea. Making its English-language debut at West End's Charing Cross Theatre, “Marie Curie” follows the namesake character’s pursuit of scientific truth despite its potentially devastating side effects, uniquely weaving in the history of the so-called Radium Girls, factory workers in the 1920s who contracted radium poisoning.

Two years before the musical's opening, parts of “Marie Curie” were staged in the scientist’s hometown at Warsaw Music Gardens Festival, with Curie’s direct relatives in the crowd.

Writer Choun See-un, 44, behind the original book and lyrics of “Marie Curie,” recalled that trip as perhaps the single most terrifying part of her journey with the musical.

“I created a fictional version of Marie Curie, but I have always wanted to do right by her and constantly, day and night, wondered what the real Marie Curie would think of these scenes. At times, I could almost feel her presence with me,” Choun told the Korea JoongAng Daily in June at her office in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul.

Writer Choun See-un wrote musical "Marie Curie." [RYU SO-JIN]

But when a Curie relative wholeheartedly thanked her for creating the show, she felt inexplicable gratification. “It was like years of heaviness had been lifted,” she said.

A breakthrough talent in the local musical theater industry, Choun’s success with “Marie Curie” is built on years of incredible professional drive. A then-aspiring theater writer, as well as mother and wife, Choun has been on a relentless search for her own truth in Curie’s story, and it has resulted in an empowering and complex musical, reaching audiences around the world. Her most recent achievement, the show’s London debut, is just one of many events going on for the writer these days. It is certainly a major “song moment” in her life, as Choun puts it.

Actor Ock Joo-hyun as Marie Curie in the Korean production of the namesake musical [LIVE]

“Opening night in London kind of felt surreal, like watching a movie,” she said. “It was a big night for the Korean ‘Marie Curie’ team, not only because our show made it to West End that night, but also because it felt like we were opening a way for more Korean musicals to go abroad.”

The show has since been met with mixed reviews, however. The Guardian and Broadway World UK both gave it two stars out of five.

An avid review reader, Choun said that she jotted all their notes down in her notebook, hopefully in preparation for the show’s next English run.

“The Korean show took years to get made and yet we still tweak the show whenever a new production is staged,” she said. “This was the first time that a full English version of the show opened, and there is still lots of work to be done.

“A show is a living thing; it constantly changes. It is one of the biggest charms of musical theater, I think,” she said.

A scene from the Korean production of "Marie Curie" [LIVE]

Choun first fell in love with musical theater after seeing big-name shows like “Cats” and “A Chorus Line” in middle school. “I knew I wanted to be part of that, in whatever way.”

She entered Chung-Ang University as a poetry major but graduated with a creative writing degree. “Turns out, poetry and creative writing combined are basically a musical!” she said. Upon graduation, she began work as a writer for children's shows and also wrote children's musicals.

“I thought I was relatively content with my life, but one day, I was invited to a ‘Mamma Mia!’ musical and found myself bawling my eyes out, though it wasn’t a sad musical at all. I thought to myself, ‘Maybe, I want to do something more.’ So, I began writing a real musical.”

Actor Kim So-hyang as Marie Curie in the Korean production of the namsesake musical [LIVE]

Choun got the idea to write about Curie from her daughter, who was then in kindergarten.

“I had randomly picked up ‘Madame Curie’ from the children’s biography section from a used bookstore and when my daughter saw it, she asked me if that was her real name.

“Embarrassingly enough, I couldn’t remember Curie’s first name.”

And upon looking her up, Choun was almost immediately taken with Curie’s life, finding parallels to her own as well.

“[Curie] was looking for something, without quite knowing what it was she was looking for, and I felt like I was doing that too with my writing career at the time.”

Despite gaining credit for penning “Marie Curie,” the writing process took a village, support which Choun said she was incredibly lucky to have had.

“I not only had the support of my husband but also other moms around the neighborhood who took turns taking care of my daughter when I was busy writing,” she said. “They all later came to the opening night of ‘Marie Curie’ in Korea and cried, seeing for the first time what I was doing all those days.”

Choun also expressed her gratitude toward her fellow creative team, composer Choi Jong-yoon and local production company Live.

“I was really blessed with a positive working environment where my work was respected,” she said. “That isn’t always the case for writers in this industry.”

She has yet to reveal other musical theater-related projects, but has been keeping busy nonetheless. After writing “Marie Curie,” she made her debut as an author and saw her first drama series “Promenade” (translated) air on local cable network tvN last year. She is currently working on another drama script slated to air in Korea.

“I have so many stories to tell, regardless of the medium,” Choun said. “I love going to new places, meeting new people and hearing their stories. I love people.”

But musicals will always be her first love, she said.

“My daughter the other day asked me what it feels like to be kissed, and funny enough, I couldn’t remember, just like I couldn’t remember Curie’s name.

"It could make for a really great musical though!”

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]