Jimin Lee

How far would you go for a great piece of writing? Choke someone to death? How about faking a murder that will bring casualties to your loved ones? Though it seems intense, Sidney Bruhl did one of these acts, for an entrancing piece of work. The charming yet dangerous play, DEATHTRAP had its first 2021 performance on March 20th at the Plus Theater.

Actors holding various instruments made their way up to the seats, greeting the audience, waving hands. Soon, some of the violinists began to strike a note, with others dancing along. On stage, some were showing magic tricks to the audience members, receiving rounds of applause. Once, the lights dimmed and the siren began to blare, the audience was transported into Russia, as the “Prologue” began to play. This was the beginning of NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 (a.k.a THE GREAT COMET) ’s Korean production. The vibrant musical opened its doors to Russia on March 20 at the Universal Arts Center, inviting the  Korean audience to an unforgettable theatre experience.

William Shakespeare and his works are no doubt, one of the most popular subject matter for numerous films, shows, and theatrical pieces. INSIDE WILLIAM takes a slightly different approach, by displaying a story of how his masterpieces were created. Come along as we follow Shakespeare’s writing journey, meeting with the beloved characters, Hamlet, Romeo, and Juliet, and realizing what a true ‘masterpiece’ is. The doors to ‘paradise’ opened on March 2nd, at Daehakro Art One Theater 1, welcoming those to Shakespeare’s studio.

Rejoice fellow Ozians of South Korea, after 5 years, WICKED has once again come to us with a new production. Having this year’s production first show on February 12 at Bluesquare Shinhan Card Hall, this production is special in that not only will they be performing in Seoul, for the first time ever WICKED will be performed in Busan too!

Based on the novel by the same name by Alexandre Dumas, MONTE CRISTO the Musical follows the life of Edmond Dantès, a young naive second mate of a French ship whose life plummeted on the happiest day of his life. Framed by the people he trusted, Edmond is locked up for life and after 15 years of suffering, with the help of an inmate, later mentor, Abbè Fria, he comes back under the name of a wealthy Count of Monte Cristo. Consumed by revenge, Edmond slowly plans a way to bring hell to those who have betrayed him.

It was recently announced that there will be a cinema release under the name of MONTE CRISTO: The Musical LIVE, both in 4DX and 2D. To celebrate, I had the great opportunity to interview Frank Wildhorn, the composer of MONTE CRISTO.

A musical that is loved among people all over the world and continuously reproduced, a show that tells the story of the people who still lived despite all the hardships, which goes by the name, RENT. After a seven-year intermission, RENT greeted the long-awaited audience of Korea on June 13th.

On an extremely hot August day of 1892, in the house of Borden, a terrible incident happened. All is left are two corpses, one suspect, and three witnesses. Thus begins the journey of LIZZIE the musical. LIZZIE had its first performance on April 2 at the Dream Art Center Theater 1.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,' is a phrase used to encourage an optimistic attitude, to change something undesirable to something more pleasant. Casey, a young Elvis impersonator uses this phrase to the fullest as his life takes a sudden turn. THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE had its first performance in Korea on November 27th at Uniplex Hall 2, welcoming the Korean audience to an extraordinary story of how a young man's life entirely changed.

The subtle scent of daffodils filled the theatre as the audience was welcomed with a beautiful scene that looked like it was straight of a fairytale. The floor of the deck opened slightly to reveal a space filled with bright, vibrant yellow flowers. 'Daffodils' and 'fairytale' are the two keywords that could be used to describe the wonderful and fantastic musical, BIG FISH. The Korean premiere of BIG FISH had its first show on December 4th, 2019 at the LG Art Center.

With the shrieking whistle-like sound, the curtain dropped to reveal a dark alley of London. Suddenly, actors appeared from everywhere as the famous song, 'The Ballad of Sweeney Todd' began. The dim lights and fog, the detailed sets, and the actors' gruesome makeup and costumes were enough to make me feel like I was on Fleet Street. Out of popular demand, Mrs. Lovett once again opened her pie shop in Korea, inviting the audience to take a bite out of her delicious pies. The third Korean production of SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET had its first show on October 2nd at the Charlotte Theater.

a??What comes to your mind when you hear a?oedeath?a?? Black clothes? People mourning? Commonly, 'death' has negative connotations with strong emotional connections to sadness and tragedy. However, there is one musical that will make you have a new perspective about death. LEESEONDONG CLEAN CENTER which had its first show on October 4th invites the audience to experience a heartwarming story about 'death' and those left behind.

People jumping around, loud rock music blasting, people on stage throwing water onto the audiencea?? From first glance, you would have thought that this was a rock concert, however, you are mistaken! This is no rock concert or any concert at all, it is the curtain call of a musical. One of Korea's most beloved shows, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH has come back for a new production with upgraded clothing and new actors joining the company. The captivating Hedwig returned to Korea on August 6th at Hongik University Art Center Grand Theater.

 In 2017, when BEN-HUR was first introduced to the Korean audience, the response to the a?oenew, innovative, eye-openinga?? show was sensational. Not only did this Korean original musical production have continuous sold-out shows, but it also maintained an average of 98% of audience attendance rate throughout the entire run. The grand ending of their success resulted in receiving three awards, including Best Musical in the 2nd Annual Korea Musical Awards. So, it was no surprise that the show has come back for a second run this year.

a?oePutrida?? was the word used in a review of Emile Zola's novel, THERÈSE RAQUIN in the newspaper Le Figaro. When the innovative novel was first published in 1867, readers were shocked at the explicit illustration of adultery and murder, therefore the novel was considered scandalous and leading to the description of being a?oeputrid.a?? However, as the 21st century approached and the novel was adapted into a stage production, THERÈSE RAQUIN began to gain popularity, performed into different productions throughout the world. The play adaption was frequently performed by many theatrical companies and students in South Korea. However, it was in early May that one theatrical company announced that they will perform the first Korean musical production. The all-new musical version of THERÈSE RAQUIN premiered on June 19th at Yes 24 Stage 2.

"The School of Rock!" as the introduction blared out through the speakers, kids rocking school uniforms holding instruments the size of their bodies ran out to the stage. The familiar tune of "School of Rock (Teacher's Pet)" began to play and I was instantly brought back to my elementary school sixth-grade classroom, the first place I was encountered with the original movie version of SCHOOL OF ROCK. This movie was probably the first movie with rock music that I have ever watched and the whole concept of a band consisted of prestigious young students was fascinating to the 12-year-old me. Therefore watching SCHOOL OF ROCK the Musical was something that I was looking forward to. Luckily, the world tour of SCHOOL OF ROCK stopped by in Korea to perform in three major cities, having its first performance in Seoul on June 7th.

The main story of a theatrical performance could be about everything. Whether it is cats signing on stage about a Jellicle Ball or about a phantom lurking around an opera house. But did you ever imagine that somebody would write a musical about eggs? Well, that was the brilliant topic material Nick Bottom had in mind after having a second meeting with a soothsayer. The hilarious story of the Bottom brothers and their attempt to write a masterpiece, the tour team of SOMETHING ROTTEN! had their first show in Korea on June 9th at Chungmu Art Center.

Colorful lights began to flash as the orchestra started playing the first note. With a large bang, the led screens began to move upward revealing actors with black leather jackets posing, another bang now there were women with pink jackets. Suddenly, the actors all came out together and began to sing and dance; this is how GREASE the musical started. Returning from a four-year gap, this season's GREASE was beyond comparison with any of the previous productions in that it was an upgraded version, performing at a larger venue with an entirely new cast. The new production of GREASE opened on April 30th at the D Cube Art Center.

Love, death, growth, family…There are no exact words to pinpoint what KILL ME NOW is about or how to define the essence of the play. To borrow the words of the company, KILL ME NOW is a story of them who are special but ordinary and a story of us. The play deals with issues that we know are important but hesitant to talk about. Written by Canadian playwright, Brad Fraser, the black comedy KILL ME NOW had the first show of its third Korean production on May 11th at Sejong Cultural Center S Theater.

 One of America's first serial killers, con artist, bigamist, "Beast of Chicago," and "The Murder Hotel," what do these words have in common? They all have an association with the cold-blooded murderer, Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as H.H. Holmes. When it was announced that a musical about H.H. Holmes was to premiere on April, the musical gained much attention as many people anticipated the final product. The new musical produced by Double K Film & Theatre Company, known as THE CASTLE sent out their first batch of invitations to the "Murder Hotel" on April 15th.