Six actors — Kim Ji-on, Son Woo-hyun, Jung Taek-woon, Joo Min-jin, Jeon Seong-woo and Jung Hwi — will take turns playing Martin Hill in the new one-man play ‘The Second Child,’ which is set to premiere in South Korea on December 8 at LG Art Center Seoul’s U+ Stage.
The production announced its six-person cast on October 27, according to Sports Kyunghyang. The play is co-produced by MBZ Company and LG Art Center.
The run is scheduled from December 8 through March 28, 2027. Kim Ji-on, Son Woo-hyun and Jung Taek-woon will take the stage first, while Joo Min-jin, Jeon Seong-woo and Jung Hwi are set to join from early February 2027 through the end of the run. Each actor will perform the role in rotation, with some staging differences tailored to each performer, giving audiences six distinct versions of the same story.
‘The Second Child’ is based on the novel of the same name by French author David Foenkinos, whose novel ‘Charlotte’ won the Prix Renaudot and the Prix Goncourt des lycéens in 2014. Playwright Oh Se-hyuk adapted the work for the stage, Kim Tae-hyung directs, and composer Min Chan-hong provides the music.
The story follows Martin Hill, a boy who reached the final two in the 1999 audition for the title role in the ‘Harry Potter’ film series but did not get the part. Years later, as an adult about to become a father, Martin keeps returning in his mind to that turning point, asking what his life might have looked like if he had taken a different path. The play treats that question with humor and irony rather than simple regret.
The one-man format makes that premise demanding: a single actor carries the full 110 minutes without an intermission, moving between Martin’s past and present alone on stage. The six-actor rotation lets each performer bring a different temperament to the same near-miss.
The casting also connects the production to both the stage and K-pop worlds. Jung Taek-woon is the main vocalist of VIXX and has built a musical-theatre career in productions including ‘Memphis,’ ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Elisabeth.’ For Jung, the role marks a first challenge in a one-man play, following his earlier stage work in ‘Thebe Land.’
No additional official statement beyond the casting announcement was available. The run continues through March 28, 2027.
