[Herald Interview] Born to perform: For Choi Jung-won, musical theater is not a job, but a calling

Musical actress Choi Jung-won made her debut as Donna in "Mamma Mia!" on Jan. 18, 2007 -- the beginning of a remarkable journey that is 16 years in the running, encompassing more than 1,033 performances. Choi holds the record for the longest stint as Donna and has the second highest number of total performances in the role. Nowadays, the 53-year-old proudly identifies herself as "Choi Jung-won, born to play Donna," a statement that few would challenge. However, it wasn't

May 8, 2023

Soprano Jo Su-mi to go on five-city tour in June

Internationally acclaimed soprano Jo Su-mi will embark on a five-city tour in June, performing in Gongju and Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province; Ulsan; Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province; and Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Titled “2023 Jo Sumi Concert: In Love,” the tour will kick off at the Gongju Culture and Art Center on June 8. The tour will continue at the Dangjin Culture and Art Center on June 10, at the Ulsan Culture and Arts Center on June 25, at the Seongnam Arts Center on

May 7, 2023

[Herald Review] Musical 'Rachmaninoff' bridges gaps between audience and classical music

People often overlook the fact that even the most talented musicians are still human beings, and we tend to remember only their most notable accomplishments. The naming of classical music pieces labeled with vital information such as the form, key and chronological order in which they were composed is not enough to convey the stories behind their masterpieces. Only those with a great curiosity and the willingness to explore beyond these labels will ever discover the stories of their creation.

May 3, 2023

[Herald Interview] Producer Oh Se-hyeok's journey from Seoul to Shanghai

Producer and playwright Oh Se-hyeok's musical, "The Brothers Karamazov," based on the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, ended its run at the Shanghai Grand Theater on April 16. By coincidence, on the same day, the Korean version of the same musical, which premiered in 2018, happened to be midway through its fourth run in Daehagno, Seoul. Set in 19th-century Russia, the musical covers the conflict between the children of Fyodor Karamazov: the abandoned sons of his f

May 3, 2023

Musical production company OD aims to make global splash with 'The Great Gatsby' and 'Il Tenore'

South Korean musical theater producer OD Company has announced plans to create at least three original works, as it aims to expand to Broadway and beyond. Led by CEO and chief producer Shin Chun-soo, the company is working on two musicals -- "The Great Gatsby," based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel of the same title, and "Il Tenore," a story about three college students who fall in love with opera in the 1930s. "For genuine success in the global market, it is essen

May 2, 2023

Classical music returns to Gyechon Village with world-class performances

The Ninth Gyechon Classic Music Festival, organized by Chung Mong-koo Foundation and Korea National University of Arts, is set to return from May 26 to 28 at Gyechon Village in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. The festival will bring back its three-day schedule following pandemic-caused disruptions in recent years. In 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was held online only and last year, the festival was a two-day affair. Three different concerts are scheduled over the thr

May 1, 2023

'Ilmu' puts contemporary spin on Joseon royal ancestral rites

The Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre is set to perform its iconic repertoire “Ilmu” at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts from May 25-28. Premiered in 2022, the performance directed by Jung Ku-ho, is a modern reinterpretation of a traditional dance inspired by Jongmyo Jeryeak, a royal ceremonial performance encompassing singing, music and dance that took place during ancestral rites held at Jongmyo Shrine. Tablets of Joseon kings and queens are preserved at the shrine. Jongmyo

April 30, 2023

[Video] How Hari Won became a celebrity in Vietnam

Asia 101 visited Ho Chi Minh City to meet Hari Won, a singer and actor in Vietnam with more than 8 million followers across social media platforms. Born to a South Korean mother and a Vietnamese father, identity and diversity are close to her heart. We sat down with Hari and learned about how she became a celebrity in Vietnam. Lee Ji-min and Park Ju-min contributed to this report.

April 28, 2023

KNB to perform its re-choreographed 'Le Corsaire' in Switzerland, Germany

The Korean National Ballet is set to perform in Switzerland and Germany with its own rechoreographed version of the classical ballet “Le Corsaire” (The Pirate) in May. The company will perform at the Theatre de Beaulieu in Lausanne, Switzerland, on May 8 and at the Hessian State Theatre of Wiesbaden in Germany on May 11-12. The performances are organized to commemorate diplomatic relations between Korea and the two countries – the 60th anniversary for Switzerland, and the 140th

April 27, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Kiss’ explores things lost in translation

With the click of a button, we easily access news from the other side of the world. We may even feel that we understand the horrors of war when we witness images of bombings, destruction and refugees on our screens. However, can we truly comprehend the tragedy of war through mere fragments of videos and news reports? “Kiss,” the Seoul Metropolitan Theatre's opening play for the 2023 season, introduces the rising Chilean playwright Guillermo Calderon to Korea. The play serves as

April 25, 2023

National Theater Company of Korea to stage Chekov's tragicomedy

The National Theater Company of Korea is set to stage Anton Chekhov’s posthumous work of Russian theater, “The Cherry Orchard,” at the National Theater of Korea’s Myeongdong Arts Theater from May 4 to 28. Chekhov’s final full-length play will be directed by Kim Kwang-bo, the artistic director of the NTC who has been at the helm of the state theater since 2020. Although Chekhov labeled this work as a comedy in his notes, the play is known for its realistic portrayal

April 24, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Pansori Les Miserables,' blend of pansori, band music and theater

A pansori adaptation of Victor Hugo’s timeless classic “Les Miserables” performed by Ip Koa Son, a pansori creative group, ended its 13-day run at Doosan Art Center’s Space 111 in Seoul on Saturday. A seamless blend of old and new, “Pansori Les Miserables” follows the general plot of the original narrative, but reconstructs it with the traditional form of pansori, in which a “sorrikkun” (vocalist) and “gosu” (drummer) lead the story. Se

April 23, 2023

Korean bands to perform at New York’s Lincoln Center

Punk band Crying Nut and indie band Say Sue Me will be performing at Damrosch Park at New York's Lincoln Center on July 19. According to the Korean Cultural Center in New York, Crying Nut and Say Sue Me will be the second group of Korean bands to perform at the Lincoln Center, following Jannabi and byebyesea last year. The bands will play at the K-Indie Music Night, a highlight of the Lincoln Center’s Korean culture and arts-themed festival, Korean Arts Week. Having debuted in 1995, C

April 21, 2023

Classical music meets media art at Lotte Concert Hall's 'In House Artist' series

Two artists-in-residence at the Lotte Concert Hall, pianist Lee Jin-sang and violinist Yoon So-young, will perform three sets of classical performances incorporating media art in April, June and November. Joining the pair are creative director Cha Jin-yeob, a dancer-turned-director, and media artist Hwang Sun-jeong. Since 2021, the classical music concert venue has sponsored the “In House Artist” series, a program which gives promising artists an opportunity to experiment with their

April 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] Yang Jung-ung brings modern visuals to timeless classic 'Faust'

For South Korean director Yang Jung-ung, founder and director of theater company Yohangza, it was natural for him to return with yet another classic play. Known for reinterpreting classics with a modern touch, Yang has directed many Western classics, including Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus” and “Hamlet” and Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt.” This time, Yang draws on “Faust” the classic play written 250 years ago by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The play st

April 19, 2023

Invitation to most extraordinary farewell in ‘Beyond Diverse Dimensions’

We are all destined to die someday. We often contemplate death and what might come after -- where we would go and how those left behind will carry on. “Beyond Diverse Dimensions," a participatory performance that kicked off Saturday at the LG Arts Center in Seoul, explores the unknowns of death and mourning. The show that bills itself as an "immersive sci-fi, fantasy, humanism, comedy, technical, sung-through, (perhaps) blockbuster musical" starts from the lobby. Four crew

April 17, 2023

Pansori's contemporary spin in ‘Peerless Pansori’

"Pansori," or Korean traditional narrative signing, gets a youthful makeover in the third edition of the National Changgeuk Company of Korea’s pansori concert “Peerless Pansori” which will take place at the National Theater of Korea's Daloreum Theater in early May. The "Peerless Pansori" project was launched in 2021 with the aim to create opportunities for young pansori singers to explore the music and mise-en-scenes with contemporary interpretations. T

April 16, 2023

[Herald Interview] The 'Mamma Mia!' journey after 20 years in Korea

When the "Mamma Mia!" musical's associate producer, Paul Garrington, and associate choreographer Leah-Sue Morland first came to Korea, it did not occur to them that the trip would foster a connection that would last more than 20 years. Garrington vividly remembers his first visit to Korea in 2002, when his company was putting on a production in Japan. They were still exploring possible production opportunities in Korea, where the musical industry was in a very early stage. Garri

April 15, 2023

Beethoven specialist Rudolf Buchbinder to perform all 32 piano sonatas in Korea

Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder, who is considered the top authority on Beethoven, is embarking on a seven-day journey with Korean audiences, performing all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas. In his eighth visit to South Korea he will take the stage for seven days, kicking off the series with Sonatas Nos. 1, 4, 10, 13 and 14 -- the famed "Moonlight Sonata" -- on June 28. The sonatas will be grouped together across the different performances, with each concert featuring a selection of five

April 14, 2023

[Herald Interview] Mephisto is an irresistible role for versatile actor Park Hae-soo

South Korean actor Park Hae-soo emerged as an international star with his unforgettable performances in "The Squid Game" in 2021 and "The Accidental Narcos" last year. Park is a familiar face on TV now but he’s currently taking the stage at LG Art Center every night in front of some 1,300 people in the audience as Mephisto, the devil, in “Faust.” Park said the role of Mephisto was too tempting an opportunity to pass up and so he returned to the stage for the

April 12, 2023