The Blue Man Group, a nonverbal stage show that blends art, technology, music and comedy, finally returns to South Korea after a pandemic-induced delay, marking their first time back since 2008. The show “that is not meant to be taken too seriously” will provide a pleasure and fun to Korean audiences as the three bald and blue characters with a special vision explore the world without words. Th...

Stagnant ‘K-musicals’ Perhaps aiming for a global stage back in 2007 was going too fast at the time. It was less than 10 years after the first licensed musical was introduced, and South Korea’s musical industry was still growing. Now, Park believes Korea’s musical industry, which accounts for more than 70 percent of the revenue generated in the performing arts sector in the country, has great p...

The bold backdrop and extravagant costumes that portray the Belle Epoque and the theatrical setting provide great visual pleasure. Two actors lead the musical as Mata Hari -- Ok Joo-hyun, who appeared in the previous two productions in 2016 and 2017, and Solar of K-pop girl group Mamamoo, who makes her debut as an actor in a musical with “Mata Hari.” Armand, a French pilot and Mata Hari’s lov...

”Smart,“ ”unique” multiple casting Along with Jeon, two other actors -- Yoon Gong-joo and Kim Soo-ha -- take on the role of the musical’s namesake, a concept exclusive to Korea and Japan. This unique style of casting was initially a novel concept to both Corea and Jeon. With the revolving door of actors, audiences can experience a unique version of “Aida” nearly every night. This gives a renewe...

Actor Song Kang-ho became the first Korean male actor to win an acting prize at the Cannes Film Festival, grabbing the award for best actor for his role as a “baby broker” in Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Broker” on Saturday. This marked the 55-year-old’s seventh invitation to the prestigious film festival, but it is the first title the veteran actor has won at Cannes. Song starred in s...

South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook said during a press conference in Cannes, France, on Saturday (French time) that the future of cinema is tightly connected with that of movie theaters, which bring incomparable cinematic experience. "Our experience to entirely focus on a film and enjoy it along with many people at a movie theater is out of comparison," he said in a press conference after the cl...

The 12th edition of Ballet Festival Korea will be held with 26 performances in June, the organizing committee said Tuesday, with Seoul Arts Center as the co-organizer. Under the theme of “Open Up the New Ordinary Days,” the festival will showcase old and new ballet productions by both established and emerging dancers from June 9-29. Some of the highlights include the opening performance, “Ahn J...

However, such resistance may dissipate during the famous tennis scene. In the second half of the musical, L faces off against Light in a dynamic tennis match. The scene is brought to life through the creative use of an inclined LED floor, which morphs to represent the varying perspectives that each character sees during the match. While the floor displays an entire uninterrupted tennis court wh...

The South Korean performing arts scene has experienced a sharp rise in revenue thanks to the lifting of nearly all social distancing rules, like gathering limits, about two weeks ago, industry data showed Wednesday. The combined revenue of 2,051 theatrical plays, musicals, classical concerts and other performances reached 17.3 billion won ($13.7 million) from April 18 to Sunday, according to the...

“March for the Beloved” was written in 1982 for a spirit wedding of Park Gi-soon, a labor rights activist who founded a night school for laborers, and activist Yoon Sang-won, who ran the night school after Park died of carbon monoxide poisoning at the shool in the winter of 1978. Yoon passed away during the 1980 Democratic Uprising that took place in the southwestern city of Gwangju. The song has...

Blue Man Group, a nonverbal stage show that blends art, technology, music and comedy, is coming back to meet Korean audiences after a pandemic-induced delay, its Korean distribution company Mast Entertainment said Monday. The Blue Man Group features three bald and blue characters, who “explore the world and discover music, comedy and surprises at every turn.” Since its debut in 1991 in New York,...

In the dark reality of the pandemic, a long-running classic has brought a sense of hopeful nostalgia to the stage. “The Lion King” is back in Seoul after nearly 3 years, and has once again shown why it captures so many hearts. As the curtains go up, the audience is immediately enraptured by the march of animals as Futhi Mhlong, who has been playing mandrill Rafiki for the past 14 years, sings “...

While “short form” or “mid form” content which immerse audiences in a story with rapid plot developments appear to be an irreversible trend in movies and TV dramas, a number of stage plays have gone against the tide with productions that run as long as eight hours. “Angels in America,” “The Brothers Karamazov,” and “The Geumjo Story,” are among the many recent works that are far longer than the ...

Although they conducted further discussion behind closed doors, a local multiplex operator’s executive who attended the meeting told The Korea Herald that the industry strongly demanded support for local movies’ releases. “Before the discussion, the government only treated us as large firms that whined over stricter guidelines. In reality, we made a lot of financial support to help the movies’ p...

The Asia Culture Center’s international joint creation and production “After War” is to run at the ACC Theater from Jan. 27-30. With an attempt to study and promote the Asian characteristics of performing arts, the ACC international joint creation and production seeks to provide opportunities for performing artists and producers across the world to come together for exchange and research. “Afte...