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The best rom-com of the year wasnt in movie theaters, nor is it a streaming series on Netflix.
Thetruelead of the show, however, at least onsocial media, is HwaBoon, Olivers potted plant.
He is simply a plant.
HwaBoons headshot is in the Playbill, and he was awarded aLegacy Robeon the shows gala night.
We wanted to get HwaBoon himself for this Chat Room, but hes a plant of very few words.
What have HwaBoons thoughts been on this?KT: HwaBoon is new to this.
This is his Broadway debut.
So he is very excited that people are being touched by his performance.
As Cynthia said, that is also what he intended in his performance.
He really came out of nowhere, and now has this major part in a Broadway production.
Is HwaBoon an industry plant?MA: No.
Hes really a fresh new talent.
We are all Spartacus, we are all HwaBoon, in a way.
What HwaBoon represents to Oliver feels very known to us, as an audience.
Its hysterical and sweet and very real.
Attention must be paid to such a houseplant.
The show has really leaned into HwaBoon on social media, and gave him a bio in the Playbill.
But also, its such a small cast, and he is such a character.
His name is probably said more than Oliver or Claires names.
One day I was like, HwaBoon needs a bio and picture in the program.
And we convinced HwaBoon to start an Instagram page.
He was new to that, but really getting into it.
Its clear that hes a very important character in the show.
Weve never had to give him a line note.
MA: Green, but consistent.
He likes to feel very rooted before he goes on stage.
But everybody loves him.
MA: HwaBoon did have an accident the other day.
He was totally fine.
A little embarrassed, if anything.
Its a beautiful thing that everything we touch has an experience.
KT: Its been fun to see everybody really adopt HwaBoon as this mascot of the show.
What has it been like to adapt a show that originally ran in Seoul?
How has it differed from directing a Broadway revival?I approached this as a completely new piece.
I have never seen the Korean production.
So I started from the script on the page, and the score.
The writers wanted this production to be its own thing.
They werent trying to do the American version of the Korean show.
We approached it like there had not been a production before.
Its so ridiculous, and funny, and the caper of it all very American musical theater.
Its fun that they depart from the norm of this quieter Korean version, for a moment.
Beyond the video sequences, which use screens in interesting ways, the staging has a cinematic style.
I want to create a system in which the edges are blurred between departments.
When we usually look at a stage, its flat and the actors are low.
Thats how this rising system came into my mind.
Its the idea of two fingers zooming in on things.
I wanted to give people a way in that was quite personal.
And the way we look at our phones is very personal.
I raised the height of the stage, too.
I started doing that inParade,where I put the action eight feet in the air.
Well save that for the movie.
It allows the audience to get a firm grip on what the real world is.
So its very inspired by Eastern design, and verticality of space.
Luckily, none of our cast members are afraid of heights.
We call it Propnado.
And there are seven people involved in that transition in that tiny little room.
There are much more crew members [under Production Stage Manager Justin Scribner] than there are cast members.
If its a credit cards width off, it will fall apart.
But thats whats so exciting.
Musical theater is like an extension of circus.
Theyre in the story in such a way that theyre believing everything is happening.
And if you get people to believe in magic without being skeptical, thats when peoples hearts open.
Memory is like that.
That was an entire life, and we just got a glimpse of it.
But Oliver cant stay there.
Thats why hes got to go on his adventure.
Broadway tickets are so expensive, and many sets are so minimal.
It was a different experiment and different endeavor.
Its about finding that balance of visual and storytelling so that youre amazed but youre not distracted.
Making sure the visuals are always in service of something.
Its done by humans, by computers, by everything.
Its a simple gesture during this super technological sequence.
But he still gets his moment.
He gets to end the show.
So HwaBoon gets the last bow.
Its not necessarily a young persons story.
Obviously the meet-cute and the hijinks are so young romance.
So youre watchingOn Golden Pondin the bodies of 20-year-olds.
Im Oliver, or Im Claire.
And Ive seen 90-year-old couples come, and theyre getting to see themselves in the bodies of these people.
So no, it isnt something I just wanted to make for young people.
But thats why we love Pixar movies.
At a time when the world is so divided, this feels like a very unifying 100 minutes.
For as futuristic as it is, the show also has elements of classic screwball rom-com.
What art were you looking towards when working on this?MA: Its setup is super classic.
I was trying to draw upon old school, mid-century stories and cinema, movies from the 60s.
Earlier, you said something like save it for the movie.
Id like to introduce more people to this story, and actually go to Korea to show these places.
It would be a real thrill.
KT: And HwaBoon would be in it.
Hed be mad if we cast a different actor.
MA: But we want to double-check he doesnt get too old for the part.
