“The minute I knew help was at hand something had collapsed inside me. Whatever had been holding me together had gone. Now I could not think for myself, let alone crawl! There was nothing to fight for, no patterns to follow, no voice, and it frightened me to think that, without these, I might run out of life.” – Joe Simpson
The bestselling book, Touching The Void (1988), is set to be officially adapted for theater in South Korea and Kim Seonho was cast to play the role of mountaineer Joe Simpson.
The said book which is based on a true story written by Joe Simpson himself, gained recognition for his remarkable self-survival amid near-death situation upon a rough descent in the 20,853-foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.
It was also turned into a documentary film by Kevin MacDonald in 2003 and adapted for stage play by David Greig in 2018. The book and film received various awards while the theater production got five-star reviews. The experience was spellbinding for The Telegraph, enthralling for Variety, stunningly inventive for The Times, and a triumph for The Guardian.
The Korean theater version has released its official poster with the words, “All of this is possible when we can come down. If you go up, you must come down.” It is directed by Kim Dong-yeon with nine (9) stage actors cast for the said play, including Kim Seonho.
On May 13th, it was confirmed by Kim Seonho’s agency, SALT Entertainment, that Touching The Void will be the actor’s theater comeback where he will portray the role of Joe Simpson, a hiker-survivor.
According to the book, Joe Simpson fell down a 20-foot ice cliff, broke his right leg, had badly frostbitten hands, and suffered from hypothermia. He also miraculously survived another 150-foot fall into a deep crevasse, spent three days alone without food, endured the bitter wind, starvation, and loneliness while crawling and hopping back to the base camp with a broken leg.
With such role, fans are excited to see Kim Seonho perform and dominate the stage again as he portray the life-changing story of Joe Simpson as well as convey how it feels to overcome and survive life’s moments of harrowing darkness.
Theater acting has always been Kim Seonho’s first love. He has performed in 17 stage plays from 2009 to 2021. Before he rose to TV stardom, he was known as a theater “idol” who conquered the local stage with his awe-inspiring talent, sold out theater seats where fans would line up, filling the street just to see his stage performances.
Touching The Void will be held at Art One Theater Hall 2, Daehak-ro in South Korea from July 8 to September 18, 2022.
According to the released schedule for the month of July, Kim Seonho will appear in the following dates:
- July 9, Saturday at 7:00 PM (KST)
- July 13, Wednesday at 8:00 PM (KST)
- July 15, Friday at 8:00 PM (KST)
- July 17, Sunday at 7:00 PM (KST)
- July 19, Tuesday at 8:00 PM (KST)
- July 22, Friday at 8:00 PM (KST)
- July 24, Sunday at 7:00 PM (KST)
To see him perform live on stage as Joe Simpson, purchasing and transaction of tickets is processed through The Best Plays Korea only.
Congratulations and all the best to you, theater actor Kim Seonho!
Photos: SALT Entertainment, The Best Plays Korea
KORB 