Real-Life Mother and Daughter to Play In-Laws on Stage for the First Time — and It's Already Stealing Hearts

For decades, comedian Lee Gyeong-sil has made South Korean audiences laugh with her sharp timing and unmistakable energy. Now, she's stepping into a new role — and for the first time ever, her daughter Son Su-a will be standing right beside her on stage.

The real-life mother and daughter have been cast together in the upcoming stage play I Love You, Mom (사랑해 엄마), set to open May 1 at the Art House theater in Daehangno, Seoul. It marks the first time the two have worked together in any production since Son Su-a made her professional debut. For audiences, the opportunity to watch a real mother and daughter share a stage carries a kind of emotional weight that no amount of scripted drama can manufacture.

A Real-Life Bond Playing Out as Fiction

What makes the casting all the more compelling is the dynamic the two will bring to the stage. Lee Gyeong-sil takes on the role of a devoted mother — the emotional center of the story — while Son Su-a plays Seon-yeong, the romantic partner of the mother's son. In other words, the real-life mother and daughter will portray a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in front of audiences every night.

The play, produced by theater company Dure Comedy, is set in 1980s South Korea and tells the story of a woman who raised her children alone by selling fish at a local market — depicting the quiet, daily sacrifices that defined a generation of Korean mothers. It's a story rooted in love, hardship, and family resilience, themes that take on an extra layer of meaning given who is telling it. The backdrop of 1980s Korea, a period of rapid economic change and social transition, gives the material a nostalgic weight that resonates strongly with Korean audiences.

Son Su-a confirmed the news on her own social media on April 2, sharing photos from a poster shoot ahead of the production. Lee Gyeong-sil, who currently performs in the long-running comedy play Boeing Boeing every Saturday, had already teased the collaboration in a March SNS post that drew immediate attention from fans of both women.

Son Su-a Earned Her Spot Through Open Auditions

For those wondering whether the casting was simply a feel-good family arrangement, Son Su-a's entry into the production came through a competitive audition process reportedly open to over 1,000 applicants. She passed the audition on her own merits, without any advantage from her mother's industry standing.

Son Su-a debuted as a professional model in 2016 and has since expanded steadily into the performing arts. She has appeared in musical theater productions, participated in Seoul Fashion Week as a model, and has been building her reputation independently from her mother's considerable shadow. This theatrical role, which places her alongside one of Korea's most established entertainers, represents her most high-profile collaboration and potentially a significant turning point in her career trajectory.

The 26-year-old's path into acting has been deliberate rather than rushed — a choice that industry observers say reflects a genuine commitment to craft rather than a quick pivot on the back of a famous name. Her selection for this role, earned through a 1,000-person audition, appears to be bearing that out.

Lee Gyeong-sil: A Career Built on Honesty and Longevity

Lee Gyeong-sil, now 60 years old, is one of the most recognizable figures in Korean comedy and entertainment. She debuted in the late 1980s and has spent over three decades navigating the highs and lows of public life with the same directness that made her famous. She has appeared on countless variety programs, hosted events, and maintained a consistent presence across television and live performance.

In recent years, she has spoken candidly in interviews and on variety shows about personal challenges — including a period of family tension involving her son that became widely discussed among Korean audiences. Her openness about those experiences, and the reconciliation that followed, has deepened her connection with fans who have followed her career across different eras. Today, she is widely regarded as both a veteran entertainer and a genuine family figure, not just a public persona.

She continues to perform regularly in live theater, maintaining an active stage presence at an age when many entertainers have reduced their schedules significantly. Her participation in I Love You, Mom alongside her daughter is consistent with that commitment — and adds a personal dimension to a production that is already designed to land emotionally.

Daehangno: The Heart of Korean Theater

The production will run at the Art House in Daehangno, the central district of Seoul's independent theater scene. Daehangno — which translates roughly as "University Street" — is home to dozens of small and mid-size theaters and has long been the primary venue for Korean stage productions that prioritize storytelling and performance over spectacle. For theater fans in Seoul, a Daehangno run carries genuine cultural weight.

The combination of a beloved comedian, her model-actress daughter, an emotionally resonant script, and one of Seoul's most storied theatrical districts has already generated considerable anticipation before a single performance has taken place. Tickets are expected to sell quickly, particularly given the novelty of the casting and Lee Gyeong-sil's established fanbase across multiple generations of Korean audiences.

What Audiences Are Watching For

Beyond the novelty of a real mother and daughter sharing the stage, there's a genuine question about performance chemistry. Stage work requires sustained presence, spontaneity, and a willingness to respond to your scene partner in real time. For an experienced stage performer like Lee Gyeong-sil, that environment is familiar. For Son Su-a, it represents a more demanding test of her skills than modeling or short-run musical appearances.

What their shared history brings to the relationship between their characters — a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law navigating the codes of a 1980s Korean family — is impossible to entirely script. The private knowledge of each other, the shared habits and unspoken rhythms of real family life, may surface in ways that simply cannot be rehearsed. That is the kind of thing that makes live theater worthwhile.

I Love You, Mom opens at the Art House in Daehangno on May 1. Details on the full performance schedule and ticket availability are expected through official channels in the coming weeks. For the rare chance to see a real family relationship translated onto the Korean stage, audiences will be paying close attention.