Jimin Lee - Page 2

One of Henrik Ibsen's most famous works, A DOLL'S HOUSE concluded with Nora closing the door of what she used to consider as home. The most frequently asked question about the ending of A DOLL'S HOUSE is 'what happened to Nora?' Just like many of the readers, playwright Lucas Hnath wondered about the future of Nora and decided to write a sequel with a modern perspective. Having received eight nominations including Best Play at the 71st TONY Awards, A DOLL'S HOUSE PART 2 had its first performance in Korea on April 10th.

In the year 1833, at a small house in Prague, Chezia, a young boy was born. Going by the name, Franz Kafka, this boy soon grew up to become one of the most influential writers in literary history. It was at his deathbed, the genius writer asked his friend to destroy all of his unfinished works. However, Max Brod, his friend refused to do so and worked on publishing them. Later, there was a long trial against whether one of Kafka's manuscripts should be owned by Germany or the Israel Public Library. What many do not know is that there was a certain female deeply related to this trial, Eva Hoffe. Based on this event, HOPE the musical shows a different perspective focusing on what the manuscript meant for this woman.

Pirates have always been a common type of villain in various different cultural contents. Starting from the infamous pirate that haunted young children, Captain Hook from Peter Pan to the most iconic pirate of all, Jack Sparrow from the hit movie series, Pirates of the Caribbean, pirates have been portrayed in a certain way with adjectives such as 'vicious' or 'greedy.' However THE PIRATES the musical introduces the audience to think of pirates with adjectives such as 'loving' or 'honest.' Having its first production ever, THE PIRATES had its departure of the darkness on March 10th, announcing the beginning of a new voyage.

Before I start my review, I want to start by asking a simple question, 'When you were 9 years old, what was your dream?' Being the president or the CEO of a company? When we are young, we dream about so many things and expect a future filled with opportunities. However, does it shock you that somewhere far away in a city called Aleppo, a nine-year-old child's most desperate dream is to be an adult? Not riches, honor, or happiness, simply just to be an adult. An amazingly talented writer in South Korea decided to write a story of two different cities that each has its own narrative featuring a white helmet and a dream. With the help of a director, the story was adapted into a one of a kind theatrical performance. THE HELMET VOL 1, a play that had its second production this year, started performances on January 8th ending its journey on February 27th at the S-Theatre of Sejong Performing Arts Center.

What comes to mind when you hear theatrical performances? The two common types of theatrical performances are plays and musicals. Despite their several differences, both have a common similarity in that they are verbal. Whether it is a heartbreaking solo or a long monologue, the two theatrical performances are filled with verbal content and minimum moments when the actors' mouths are closed. That is why when THE NATURE OF FORGETTING announced its Asia premiere in Korea, an immediate interest grew due to its unique format of being a physical theatrical performance. With positive reviews and a sold out soundtrack, THE NATURE OF FORGETTING had its last performance on the 18th.

What would you do when you have a brilliant scientific theory that nobody supports? Would you risk the consequences of losing yourself just for the results? Though this may seem highly unlikeable, one doctor with the name of Dr. Henry Jekyll decided to sacrifice himself to prove his theory. The story of his extraordinary experiment, JEKYLL, AND HYDE the Musical returned to Korea for a 7-month long run, lined up with an amazing cast. The first show opened on November 13th at Charlotte Theater and has been receiving many positive reviews with sold-out shows continuously.

"She's a maniac, a maniac, on the floor. And she's dancing like she's never before," as the song echoed throughout the speakers, the audience held their breath as their eyes followed the dynamic movements of the dancer. As the song reached its climax, so did the dancer, who now sat on a chair and with a pull of a handle, water fell on her, enacting the iconic scene of FLASHDANCE. After receiving much love and attention at the 2018 DIMF(Daegu International Musical Festival), FLASHDANCE came back for its first tour in Korea. Starting from the first performance in Seoul on January 18, the company would be performing in 5 different cities throughout Korea until March 24th.

"They say that every time, this butterfly flaps. It causes a tiny ripple in the air that can spread out and grow and change wind currents and weather patterns. They call it the butterfly effect." 14-year-old Alvin Kelby mentioned to his friend Thomas Weaver, as he pointed to the beautiful blue butterfly. Meanwhile, Thomas looked at his friend with a questioning face and said "It's a bug. A stupid, squishable bug." The lifelong friendship of these two opposites, Alvin Kelby and Thomas Weaver is the backbone of the musical, THE STORY OF MY LIFE. Bringing many to tears every production, THE STORY OF MY LIFE had its opening show for the 5th production on November 27th.

What would you do to live the luxurious life that was meant to be yours? How about purposely not helping a man who is on the verge of falling from a very steep chapel? Or how about replacing a fake gun prop of a play with a real gun? The story of how Monty Navarro creatively and swiftly gets rid of his relatives in order to achieve the "rags to riches" dream is not only extremely comedic but creative. The winner of Best Musical of the 68th Tony Awards, A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER had its first Asian production at Hongik University Daehangno Art Center Grand Theater located in Seoul, Korea on November 9th and has enchanted the audience ever since.

When it was officially announced that MIDNIGHT the musical was coming back for its second performance in South Korea, many were excited. The show was advertised that it had an "update" I had the opportunity to see the updated version of the show and it was something that I had not expected at all.

"Genius is the recovery of childhood at will," this is a famous quote by Rimbaud, the mischievous genius French Poet. A prodigy of literature, he later fled from his home to Paris, spending some time with Paul Verlaine. The story of Rimbaud's life has been made into an original musical, having its first performance on October 23rd and it has so far led many audience members enchanted into the story of the young poet's life.

A yellow flower pot and a mason jar with a single firefly, when hearing the title of a particular musical, MAYBE HAPPY ENDING, these are the two images that pop up in my mind. When first performed in 2016, the musical was not only awarded with various prizes but set an amazing ticket sales and attendance record like no other musical. The heart touching story of Olivier and Claire has returned for its third production in Korea.

"Nora! Nora! Empty. She is gone. The most wonderful thing of all?" With the last words of Helmer, the roof set began to descend, rapidly decreasing the space of the stage. After the lights were turned off and I was completely left in the darkness, thousands of thoughts began to come upon me. 'Wow…What have I just watched?' With that question in my mind, I watched as the actors reappeared on stage to take their bow. The incredible mind-blowing show, A DOLL'S HOUSE plays at Seoul Arts Center CJ Towol Theater until November 25th.

Have you ever felt drawn to a specific animal? It could be a big bear or a small rabbit, but whatever it is, you somehow are magically drawn to it and can't take your eyes off, with emotions exploding inside you? Well, for Alan Strang, horses were the case. The immersive story of Alan with his devoted love for horses, and a psychiatrist who struggles with his own problems as he manages Alan, EQUUS had its first show of 2018 production on August 22nd.

Two phones and two people. Tension is all you can feel, in a complete silence, suddenly the phone rings. After checking their watches, they grab the phone with hesitation, "Hello?" With that, the house light dims and the show begins. OSLO, winner of many awards, including the Best Play at the 71st TONY awards had its first non-English performance on October 12th at Myeongdong Arts Theater in Seoul, Korea.

Do you know what the nickname of September 13 is? It is called the "Roald Dahl Day," a holiday dedicated to the beloved storyteller, Roald Dahl. Out of his amazing books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, James and The Giant Peach, Royal Shakespeare Company had chosen Matilda as its next big musical project. MATILDA was first premiered on West End in 2011, following with a Broadway premiere in 2013. Since then, this show has been produced in several English-speaking countries. However, in 2017, a rumor began to spread that they were having their first non-English speaking country production. Everybody was excited to find out which country took the honor. Finally, in August 16th, 2018, the first non-English speaking production of MATILDA had its first premiere in LG Arts Center of Seoul, South Korea. 

"The Big Apple," "The City of Dreams," and "The City That Never Sleeps," is common nicknames associated with this particular city. Do you know which city it is? Ranking 9 place for the 25 most desirable places to live in the U.S.in 2018; New York City is a dream city not only for Americans but for people all over the globe. However, as glamorous as "living in The Big Apple" sounds like, the reality is that life is difficult for everybody. ORDINARY DAYS the musical send us an invitation to visit the lives of four New Yorkers.

In 2017, one of the most popular theatrical magazines in Korea, THE MUSICAL did a poll to pick the top favorite female musical characters performed in Korea. In the top 3, Jerusha Abbott of DADDY LONG LEGS the musical was selected. When seeing the poll, I could immediately agree in why Jerusha is such a beloved character, especially in Korea. Why? Because she is brave, intellectual, and unique. The list of her charms goes on and on. The best way to know this is for you to go and see the wonderful show which has returned for its 3rd production, currently performing in Baekam Art Hall.

Something extraordinary, unique, and just altogether hard to express in one word," this is how I felt after seeing THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW. Last year, when this show had its second run after a long 7-year break, it became a huge sensation in the musical industry. It came back this year, early August to start its third run and everything of it is as unique as it can be. This year's performance is special in that they decided to do something that most Korean musical productions hesitate to do.

Without any specific announcements, the lights are dimmed out, leaving the audience in confusion. Then suddenly, the light turns on stage and one of the actors step out of a window. The minute his foot is almost out of the window frame and audiences begin to wonder if this is really the start of the show, actors appear on the stage. Then, with a big smile, one of the actors say, "Surprise, this is not the start of the show," and begins to talk about each of their role and how this show is an interactive form. Confusion and excitement, those were the two keywords that popped up in my head when just seeing 10 minutes of the play and without any suspicion, I knew with an instinct that this show was going to be phenomenal.