Review: CAPONE TRILOGY at Hongik University Art Center Small Theater

"Welcome to Room 661 of Lexington Hotel," unlike other plays, CAPONE TRILOGY starts with an interesting phrase to grab the audience's attention before starting the show. Not only that, the show dazzles the audience the moment the doors of the theatre opens. The popular play series, CAPONE TRILOGY has once again managed to mesmerize audiences within only a few weeks after opening.

10 minutes before the show, the doors to the theater are opened and the first thing that greets the guests of Lexington Hotel is a reception desk. Just as if it was brought from a real hotel, the designs of the desk are fascinating and the interior of the so-called "lobby" itself is realistic that it feels as if the audience has really transferred to Lexington Hotel in Chicago from a theater in Korea. To the right of the desk, there is a door which opens to Room 661, the main performing stage of the show. Because there is a total of 3 shows in the CAPONE TRILOGY, small details change but the fact that it really looks like a hotel room does not change. Not only is there a bed, but there are even ventilation windows and a heater in the room adding much life to the setting. Seats are divided into two sections, A and B, which are each located on the right and left side of the room. As it is a common characteristic of the Trilogy series, the distance between the actors and the audience is very intimate, which gives the show a unique charm.

There are 3 stories in the CAPONE TRILOGY and 3 characters per story. The stories are LOKI, LUCIFER, and VINDICI and the characters are an old man, young man, and lady. Depending on the story, the focus of the main character changes but there is a united theme that connects each story together, so it is interesting to think of the lines or props that are repeated in each of the stories. Though, there is no certain order to watch the shows, starting with LOKI and moving on to LUCIFER and VINDICI is highly recommended because it helps to understand each of the stories individually as while as thinking of the big picture.

LOKI is focused on the lady who plays the beloved star of Chicago, Lola. It focuses on what happens to Lola in Room 661 a day before her wedding. The main concept of this story is a comedy and the icon that represents this show is a clown. An interesting point of LOKI was that the main female character sings a song despite the fact that CAPONE TRILOGY is a play.

LUCIFER's main character is the old man named Nick. In this story, the young man portrays a cop and the lady plays the wife of Nick, Merlin. The story invites the audience to see Nick's story of what happens after Capone is sent to jail. Just like Lucifer is another word for Satan or the Fallen Angel, the icon of this story is a pair of wings. One point to keep in mind is that LUCIFER has some violent actions and language, so it may cause discomfort to some people.

Lastly, VINDICI is a story about the young man who plays the main character named just like the title, Vindici. The show tells the story of a young cop, Vindici who plans revenge against his boss, Duce with the help of Duce's daughter, Lucy. The icon for this story is a pair of guns standing side by side. There are lines that mention characters from LOKI and LUCIFER, so I recommend watching VINDICI last in order.

Each show of the CAPONE TRILOGY has its own unique charm. It was fascinating to see how each of the shows seemed very different but all had connections to one whole story. Not only the story but how the theatre was created just like the Lexington Hotel of the setting of the play was interesting. With the realistic designs of the room and the enthusiastic performance of the actors, it gave an unforgettable experience to the audience.

CAPONE TRILOGY plays at Hongik University Art Center Small Theater until June 17th. Tickets start at 30,00 and can be purchased at the ticket box and online at www.interparkglobal.com. Be sure to check the cast and story prior to buying the tickets.Photo Credit: Official Twitter of IM Culture

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