King’s Head Theatre – until 25 September 2025
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Gaia House Productions’ haunting play is a gut-wrenching and unforgettable show. Writer and performer Minjeong Kim delivers an emotional masterclass as she tells the story of Minja, one of the thousands of Korean women taken by the Japanese army to become sex slaves during World War 2.
Dressed in traditional Korean white robes, traditionally symbolising cleanliness, Kim captures the sweet innocence and small acts of childish defiance as Minja goes about her quiet life in her small Korean town. From skipping stones to tentative first love, Kim builds the image of a delightful child, making the impact of her betrayal by a trusted family friend even more heartbreaking.
The horror of life in the Japanese comfort stations is told through the eyes of the naïve teenager – each act of violence and brutality described almost matter-of-factly with a mix of bewilderment and fear. Alone on the stage, with only a small step stool as a prop, Kim’s magnificent physical performance is utterly mesmerising with her shifting posture making each character instantly recognisable as she morphs from victim to rapist, and most chilling as the chain-smoking boss of the station.
Director Kate Elliott’s intuitive touch keeps Kim’s story moving forward, capturing the despair and shame, but also the defiant will to survive. The handful of women alive today are still waiting for acknowledgement and an apology from the Japanese government, but in a nation where the atrocities of the invading Japanese forces in Nanjing and many other places are barely mentioned, this seems unlikely. The women will not be forgotten however, as long as passionate and heartfelt productions like The Comfort Woman are presented.
A must-see production – an extra show has been added on 25 September at 9pm, grab a ticket for this vital and evocative show.