This play’s title is misleading. There are no dramatisations of wartime history; no political assertions of any sort. The only reference to the play’s title is minor, but it is, of course, about love.
The Reunification of Two Koreas comprises of twenty short scenes that explores love. The scenes are disparate but love pulses through the characters’ veins: from an unfolding wedding drama to a sex worker haggling for money. All these individuals are bound by a sad, painful love, that kind of love that hurts. It is called a crush for a reason. The play successfully evokes the reality of love that torments and teases, that both embraces you and stamps on your heart. Admittedly at times, the 2.5 hour runtime does feel long, particularly when some scenes are less effective than others (there are only so many variations of how a partner can leave you). Yet, the cast is enthralling, particularly Timothy Ng as a bumbling groomsman and Umi Kalthum Ismail as a discouraging girlfriend. The Reunification of Two Koreas explores how love breathes life—or in particular, death—into relationships. The play’s disjointed narrative can be erratic, but love undoubtedly binds these stories together. The characters are doomed to be (or not to be) together forever.
This review is based on the performance on 9 November 2018. Part of TheatreWorks’ Because I Love You season, The Reunification of Two Koreas ran from 1-11 November at TheatreWorks.
Patricia Tobin 