“The actress that take Sandra role is a girl group?”
After musical 'All Shook Up' performance finishing, an audience looks at casting board and asks question about actress Song Joo Hee that takes on role as curator Sandra, a friend that comes together answered. "She's Hello Venus Alice." The audience that seems to yet cannot expect a girl group member, asked question in return with surprise expression.
Is it because she starts her first musical challenge with real name Song Joo Hee not Hello Venus Alice. Before performance, several audiences recognised rookie musical actress that takes on important role.
However after performance, numerous audiences find performance organiser to ask about Song Joo Hee. The curiosity about unfamiliar actress that shows all from attractive beautiful face, cunning comic acting that harmonises with unique vocal and even steady singing ability even in high-pitched tone.
The cause for the uneasiness was simple. It is because she cannot check her acting on musical unlike on broadcast. "During first performance, I was distracted but I didn't feel that I can't focus. But as the performance is repeated, I think of 'Is it right that I am doing'. So my concern gradually increasing. I am more like that maybe because I cannot monitor my performance. However even in that anxiety, as much as I'm not hesitate to go up stage, I am certain that musical is interesting."
'All Shook Up' is a jukebox musical depicting the story while icon of generation Elvis Presley enter an unknown village before debuting. The work has been constantly loved after being shown within the country first in 2007 as non-replica version.
Many actors went through every character. It's the same for arrogant and intelligent curator Sandra. That much the colour of the character become firm. In Sandra case, she had been receiving 'All Shook Up' fans love with a character that is intelligent and arrogant, as well as girl crush charm stands out. But for Sandra with Song Joo Hee style, "lovable" is spilled an entirely different evaluation.
It is 'fresh' to give a change to a firm character, while she can get positive criticism, if she cannot harmonise with the play, it can be shown through as 'lack of acting skill'. In her first musical challenge, it's clear that to change an existing character is a big adventure.
"I have to show an arrogant appearance but if I open my mouth, that feeling doesn't come out. As I do practice with existing girl crush Sandra feeling, I feel like I wear clothes that doesn't suit me. So I gave change with a bit more lovable and extraordinary and fortunately until now I'm being relieved with many positive evaluation."
The reason Song Joo Hee challenges for musical is she wants to acquire 'performance experience'. As girl group Hello Venus member that has been on stage for hundreds time, the answer is somewhat unexpected. Song Joo Hee explained, "The performance done with member is as arranged, it has familiar feeling more than gaining experience feeling. So I want to experience a totally different performance and I wanted to do musical."
For Song Joo Hee that needs to divide 3 minute song with members, she sings several musical songs for more than 2 hours and cannot help but to feel burdensome to do musical that has to face the audience. Especially keeping condition is the biggest homework for her.
"Actually if I point out difficult thing, I can speak that it's all. All is difficult. Among them, the most difficult is self management. I have to always maintain the best condition. Actually, during group activity, other member will sing my part if my condition is not good but it's impossible here. On the day that my condition is not good, I know my state will be revealed through microphone without reserve therefore I'm more insecure on day like that and it's difficult."
Is it because her character that seek for perfection usually. When Song Joo Hee goes up the stage, she's seized with anxiety. The more the audience, her anxiety grows more bigger. The thought of 'By any chance I make a mistake, didn't I become a disappointment', makes her more nervous.
Song Joo Hee recalled her first performance that was done with Infinite Sunggyu and sighed. She hinted at her regretful heart, "After doing around 10 performances, I thought that I adapted to communicate with audience now but not long ago, after first performance with Infinite Sunggyu oppa, I thought that 'I am still far'. If I do with Sunggyu oppa, the audience reaction is good and interesting but after seeing many audience and the reaction is good, rather I was so tense. In the end, I think I did the worst that day".
It's clear that it's a difficult challenge. After performance, she recalls the regretful scene and shed tears because of being upset. Nevertheless, she doesn't want to stop. She said, "It's as fun as all difficulties are blown away. Preparing with the actors for a long time and then when it progresses like a cogwheel on the stage, I feel big joy as much as I got goosebumps. Isn't the feeling of accomplishment that makes everyone goes up the stage even though it's difficult", expressing her love in musical.
Now Song Joo Hee is going side by side between 'All Shook Up' performance and Hello Venus new song recording. She said, "I want to take strong energy belongs to musical actors in Hello Venus stage.", and conveyed her wish. Even so, she expressed the difficulty in different vocalisation of musical and singer.
"As a singer, it's a technique to throw away the last sound but in musical, you really had a hard time if you did it. But at the time of performance, I start to record for Hello Venus new song and went to recording room but this time I maintain the last sound and got pointed out to 'throw it away'. I was a but confused but I can adapted now. Haha. While doing musical, my stage concentration increases and I want to do Hello Venus stage quickly. I want to feel the changed one."
When 'All Shook Up' 40th performance finished, we're curious about evaluation that Song Joo Hee wants to receive. More than praise, she is hoping Sandra that she acts will absorb in the work . "Sandra acted by me is different with the original Sandra so clearly there's anyone that's awkward. Nevertheless when the 40th performance is filled, I hopes the cute and lovable Sandra acted by Song Joo Hee will get a place in audiences' subconscious mind. At the same time, I have no other hope except to be remembered as a character without splashing and absorbed well."
'All Shook Up' is a work that is like a surprise gift for Song Joo Hee. It's because she went for audition but didn't know she'll get it, and before starting she was afraid that she cannot adapt but she met precious seniors and learnt a lot of things.
"For me 'All Shook Up' is a work that makes me looks forward to 40th performance and makes me want to keep on doing musical. I think that it's a relief my start of musical is 'All Shook Up'. Adaptation is not difficult because of actors that are together and a lot of pop-style elements on the musical song. If it's a tradition musical, I think I'll be really stressed out and cannot enjoy the performance. There's a lot of things to be thankful to Sandra"
In the end, musical actress Song Joo Hee pointed out 'Wicked' as a musical work that she really wants to appear now and with overflowing confidence, she expressed her greed towards charming white witch Glinda. As the reason she said, "we have a lot of similar points". Also instead of her wish to stand on musical stage for a long time she said, "It's difficult to portray now but I want to make sure to challenge for the owner of the town bar and Lorraine's mother, Sylvia."
Song Joo Hee's first musical debut work 'All Shook Up' will be performed at Seoul Hongik University Art Center Grand Theater until upcoming August 28.
[Focus News] Musical ‘All Shook Up’, I give 'Actress Song Joo Hee' as a present for Hello Venus Alice