REVIEW: THE COMFORT WOMAN by Minjeong Kim at King’s Head Theatre 22 - 25 September 2024

‘If I could go back to that time, I would say to myself, RUN’ ★★★★ ½  

The trail of devastation left by army forces in war torn countries is immeasurable, and one cannot fully comprehend the extent of lives being lost and destroyed, souls and bodies being damaged, and dreams being shattered, until you hear the personal stories of those affected. Korea was occupied by Japan from 1910 until the end of World II in 1945 before being liberated from Japanese forces and being subject to an internal division under the rule of the Soviet Union and the United States.

Amongst those who served the Japanese army were women and girls who were lied to and forced into sex slavery in exchange for accommodation and food and the false pretence of good money and better employment in Japan. These victims were known as ‘comfort women’. Their stories were lesser known as they had been silenced and considered too shameful and traumatic to be spoken out until the first survivor publicly testified in 1991 of the atrocities and hardships endured. In her debut play ‘The Comfort Woman’, the writer performer Minjeong Kim recounts the journey of the fictitious character Minja from her days in South Korea as a 13 years old young girl where she was living an idyllic life with her family and friends, to the days when she was approached by a family friend Uncle Han and a stranger, before being taken to Japan to work as a sex slave until her release at the end of the World War II in 1945.

Minjeong Kim as a solo artist gave an absolutely powerful performance, her great acting characterisation skills being very worthy of high commendation. Her portrayal of the female and male characters was outstanding. Under the direction of Kate Elliott, the performer switches seamlessly between the characters of the mother rebuking her, the young innocent teenager living a carefree life to the male college crush, character switching from the female slaves she encountered during her stay at the comfort stations, to the Japanese male offenders and the ruthless manager.

Kim’s range of emotions depicting the joyous innocence that is devastated by the dark horrid experiences of sexual slavery was heartbreaking. The simple long white Hanbok dress shining against the dark black background, with only a low step ladder for prop, allows the focus to remain on the solo performer, her facial expressions and her physicality. For the audience sitting in the rear theatre seats, the view was unfortunately somehow restrictive, whenever her scenes led her to have to perform on the floor of the stage. The sound and lighting effect was used strategically and enhanced the mood shift from the age of innocence in Korea to the dark hours of life in Japan.

'If I could go back to that time, I would say to myself, RUN' delivered with such poignancy echoed the plight of an estimated 200,000 women and girls, mainly from Korea, China and occupied countries, victims of war atrocities. Damage done to the lives of the sexual slaves cannot be undone, but the hope is that one day, the Japanese Government will give them what is due to them: an apology.

Box Office https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/the-comfort-woman

Writer and Performer: Minjeong Kim

Directors: Kate Elliott

Producer: Antje Management

Technician | Valentin Burwell

Note: Premiered at Rosemary Branch Theatre