Hit by a series of COVID-19 infections, the musical scene is bracing for perhaps another virus crisis, following earlier shutdowns in March and August last year. Four cast members of the musical “Dracula,” set to run from mid-May, have confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus, sounding an alarm for musical productions.  Musical actors Shin Sung-rok who plays Dracula, Kang Tae-eul and Jeon Dong-seok playing the role of Van Helsing in the musical have tested posit

With the daily number of new COVID-19 cases almost reaching 800, the musical industry is on high alert as actor Son Jun-ho who is to appear in the musical “Dracula” next month tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday. “Son Jun-ho wasn’t feeling well recently, so he voluntarily tested for COVID-19. He tested positive and went into self-quarantine,” Son’s agency Sidus HQ said. “All staff who came in contact with Son have been or will be tested.&rdq

LG Arts Center to show works from past festivals

The 20th Uijeongbu Music Theatre Festival is to take place May 7-16 throughout the city north of Seoul. This year’s theme, “Colorful Tradition,” highlights the unique value of traditional culture. The annual festival held in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, by the Uijeongbu Cultural Foundation, features performances that combine music and drama. Some 20 performances will be featured this year. Opening the 10-day festival is the Korean Traditional Performing Arts Foundation pr

Ballerino Kim Ki-min will not perform at the staging of “La Bayadere” in Seoul in April, as the organizer said on Wednesday he was not granted an exemption from a mandatory two-week, self-quarantine in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kim, the principal dancer of the prestigious Mariinsky Ballet in Russia, was to perform in the Korea National Ballet’s “La Bayadere“ scheduled for next month, along with Olga Smirnova, a prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet. The K

The musical “Phantom” reveals another layer of the tragic, ghostly character who lives at the Paris Opera House, and who has stolen the hearts of many for ages.  Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit’s “Phantom” -- long overshadowed by Andrew Lloyd Weber’s smash hit “The Phantom of the Opera” -- opened Wednesday in Seoul at the Charlotte Theater in Jamsil, eastern Seoul. The Korean-language version of the licensed musical, which features original mu

Choreographer Ahn presents new project, involving Asian Gen Z dancers

The original French concert version of the musical “Les Miserables” will go onstage in South Korea on April 30 and run for about a month. The concert is inspired by the musical “Les Miserables,” adapted from Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel of the same name. Since its French premiere in 1980, the musical has been performed in 44 countries before 70 million audience members. The concert version was staged in Seoul and Busan in 2019, and tickets were sold out for all per

Though the COVID-19 pandemic continues to restrict many aspects of our lives, the local musical scene has been striving to bounce back. After the government relaxed the social distancing rules for performing arts venues in early February, local musical productions have been recording sell-outs with musical fans returning to theaters. According to the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS), aggregate ticket sales of performing arts productions recorded 16.7 billion won in

Man of La Mancha’ to return to Seoul after brief Daejeon run

Set to move to Magok, western Seoul, in 2022, the LG Arts Center released the program for its last season in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Friday. The center’s annual program CoMPAS21 will feature more domestic acts, as visits by international artists and art troupes are limited by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Performances by foreign productions are to be available through screenings. Theater director Yang Jung-ung, who staged the opening ceremony for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic

‘Wicked’ cast members open up about being part of the iconic musical

Programming spans a broad range, from Vienna Philharmonic and Hong Kong Ballet to LoL music

The original Korean-language musical “Last Empress” opened its curtains in Seoul earlier this month. The musical, which had its premiere in 1995, shows the life of 19th-century Empress Myeongseong, who was assassinated by Japanese agents in the years before Japan annexed the Korean Peninsula. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of its premiere, the show went through some major changes to appeal to modern audiences. The musical, which originally featured only musical numbers withou

The National Theater Company of Korea is to stream barrier-free play “Scapin” and the premiere of newly-produced “Hamlet” online. Play “Scapin” will be streamed Friday and Saturday. “Scapin,” based on “The Rogueries of Scapin” written by French playwright Moliere, had its Korean premiere with the theater company in 2019.  The play is led by Scapin, a cunning, deceitful servant who plays the other characters off against each ot