As the show began, cast members dressed up as cats appeared from the back of the auditorium, roaming through the audience. For safety reasons, the characters wore masks featuring catlike makeup. After going onstage, they removed the masks and began to sing. “Cats,” created by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh, tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles. On the night of the ...

London-based contemporary dance company Rambert and celebrated Belgian choreographer-filmmaker Wim Vandekeybus have joined hands to present a socially distanced dance performance fit for the COVID-19 pandemic era. Their new dance production “Draw From Within” will be livestreamed for audiences around the world, from London to Seoul. In the show, around 20 Rambert dancers will dance against the b...

Online festival K-Musical on Air, organized by the Korea Tourism Organization, kicked off its four-day run Monday. On Monday, the musical “Fan Letter” was streamed via Naver TV and V Live. Musicals “The Goddess is Watching,” “Red Cliff” and “The Fiction” will follow. The four musicals come with English subtitles. Since 2017, the KTO has supported 14 musicals in offering foreign-language subtitl...

With the government having imposed stringent health measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 on Saturday, the culture sector is scrambling to adjust. As transmission of the virus in the Seoul metropolitan area continues at a fast rate, the social distancing plan for the capital area was raised a notch to Level 2 on Saturday. All private and public indoor gatherings are restricted to 50 people an...

The Korean National Ballet will perform “Heo Nan Seol Heon - Su Wol Kyung Hwa,” Aug. 21-23 at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, presenting the life of the legendary poet Heo Nanseolheon. Heo Nanseolheon (1563–1589), whose real name is Heo Cho-hui, was a prominent Korean poet from the mid-Joseon era. Having left behind more than 200 poems in her name, her works are appreciated to this day....

A musical actor currently starring in musical “Ludwig” has become embroiled in controversy after photos of the actor at a club emerged. Kim Jun-young came under fire for partying at a Seoul club from Thursday night to Friday after photos of Kim at the club went viral on social media. Kim is a lead actor in musical “Ludwig: Beethoven the Piano.” As his clubbing photos triggered hailstorm online,...

The original French production of musical “Notre Dame de Paris” will go on stage in Korea Nov. 10 - Jan. 17 at the Blue Square Interpark Hall in central Seoul, Mast Entertainment confirmed Thursday. The Seoul shows will be of the new version of the beloved musical created in 2017 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show the following year with detailed upgrades in costumes, choreography and...

Head of international tour production ‘Phantom’ looks forward to Daegu shows

K-pop singer-turned-stage actor shares affection for musical ‘Mozart!’

By Lim Jang-won ( ljw@heraldcorp.com )

It is said that high heels were originally designed for men. Though they are more conventionally worn by women these days, the Korean-language musical “Jamie” blurs the line between men and women with a pair of bright red high heels. The successful West End musical “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” opened in Korea earlier this month under the name “Jamie.” It was the first time the show was stag...

Universal Ballet successfully presented “Onegin,” the first full-length ballet to go on the stage in Korea in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Onegin,” a drama of tragic love, went onstage from July 18 to Sunday at the Chungmu Arts Center in central Seoul. The drama ballet created by celebrated choreographer John Cranko is based on Alexander Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin.” Kurt-Heinz Stolz...

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced its plans for the “Open Theater 2020” project, aiming to invigorate the theater scene. Instead of presenting a large number of plays, the project will run a diagnostic test on the current state of the country’s drama scene. “Open Theater 2020” will consist of 14 programs -- including seminars, talks and workshops -- all focused on creating a ...

Dance-focused musical delivers message that ‘show must go on’ at all costs

Head of Sejong Center suggests paid subscription-based streaming of performance content