The Korea Herald

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Isabelle Huppert set for Asian premiere of play 'Mary Said What She Said' in Korea

By Hwang Dong-hee

Published : Sept. 1, 2024 - 13:34

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"Mary Said What She Said" (Photo by Lucie Jansch)

Award-winning French actress Isabelle Huppert will make her first stage appearance in Korea this November.

Huppert will star in the one-woman play “Mary Said What She Said,” which is set to have its Asian premiere at the Seongnam Arts Center Opera House in Gyeonggi Province, Nov. 1-2.

Written by Darryl Pinckney and based on the letters of Mary, Queen of Scots, the monologue in three parts follows Mary as she confronts the forces shaping her fate while, accused of treason by Elizabeth I, awaits execution by beheading.

The 2019 production from Theatre de la Ville -- Paris (Paris City Theatre) is directed and designed by American theater visionary Robert Wilson, who previously brought productions such as "Shakespeare’s Sonnets," a genre-bending play with music, and the opera "Einstein on the Beach" to Korea in 2015.

The play will be performed in French and Korean subtitles provided.

"Mary Said What She Said" (Photo by Lucie Jansch)

Since her debut in 1971, Huppert has appeared in more than 100 films, winning best actress honors at the Cannes Film Festival (1978, 2001) and the Venice Film Festival (1988, 1995).

She is no stranger to Korean cinema, having starred in three films directed by Hong Sang-soo: “In Another Country” (2012), “Claire’s Camera” (2017), and “A Traveler’s Needs” (2024) -- the latter of which won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 74th Berlinale.