Young artists are intentionally deconstructing the familiar tale of 'The Three Little Pigs.' The story of the pigs and the wolf is relegated to mere snacks at a gathering, while questions about performance, installation art, reality versus illusion, memory versus the present, and the boundaries between fact and fiction take center stage.
The musical 'The Wind Blows, and I Ate My Two Brothers,' which flips the original story on its head, will be staged at the Sejong Center in Seoul from August 15 to 17. Lee Ha-neul serves as the director, music director, and composer, with contributions from Lee Han and Shin Ye-hun. Jeong Han-gyeol will conduct, and visual artist Yang Jeong-wook will serve as the scenographer.
There is no intention to faithfully recreate the original. In a recent written interview with reporters, Lee Ha-neul stated, "The initial thought was, 'I want to break apart a story that everyone knows.'" He chose 'The Three Little Pigs,' one of the most familiar tales, to borrow its framework but deconstruct and reconstruct it in a completely different direction.
For Yang Jeong-wook, the original story serves as a guide for creating a new narrative. At a press conference on August 3, he remarked, "Just because a few people gather late at night to eat chicken, it doesn't mean the chicken is significant. 'The Three Little Pigs' is just chicken. The real story could be about war or stocks."
The real story revolves around 'believing in the invisible.' Lee Ha-neul focused on the 'faith in the wolf.' He explained, "We are often more easily swayed by what we believe exists than by what actually does. Fear, rumors, beliefs, prejudices, religion, and ideologies—things we cannot verify—often dictate our actions and can sometimes hold more power than reality." He added, "I wanted to explore this structure of belief through the symbol of the 'wolf.'"
The production aims to pose various questions about the human psychology of believing in the unseen, the reality created by repetition, and a re-examination of the form of performance itself.
The title, which twists the original story, also contains elements of deconstruction. In the original tale, the wolf eats the first and second pigs, while the third pig kills and eats the wolf that comes down the chimney. Yang Jeong-wook explained, "The first and second pigs are inside the wolf's belly, which is why the title says 'I Ate My Two Brothers.'"
The differences among the three pigs are created through movement and sound. The first and second pigs are given distinct repetitive movements and sound characteristics, which are then transferred to the third pig that swallows the wolf. As their actions repeat and infect one another, the three pigs gradually become intertwined.
Yang Jeong-wook, who has two children aged two and six, drew inspiration for choreography and direction from them. He noted, "My eldest followed me as I took clothes out of the washing machine and threw them into the dryer. Later, the youngest came and threw something too. I thought there might be points of learning among the three pigs, and I reflected that in the spatial direction and choreography."
The work will continue to evolve through a process of mixing and refining the contributions of each participant right up until the performance.
Yang Jeong-wook stated, "It's not a straightforward process, so I don't know the end result. I think it will be completed during rehearsals, and as we rehearse, we will likely remove elements that are too rigid, like taking out gochujang (red chili paste)."
The performances will take place from August 15 to 17 at the S Theater of the Sejong Center.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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