"Saturday Night Fever" has been one of the most popular and enduring musicals in the world. It is no wonder that local musical lovers keep their expectations at a feverishly high level for the West End version featuring the cast members from London.

The high-profile musical largely impressed local audiences in its premiere at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Friday, a successful opening that may signal a smooth ride - or hip-twisting - for the weeks ahead.

Particularly intriguing is the overall level of performance of the West End production, compared with the Korean-language version staged in 2004. Although the Korean version brought obscure actor Park Gun-hyung into instant stardom, it needed some tightening in terms of production techniques.

The West End version, however, did not show any major weakness; rather the high-spirited performance was so powerful that the usually-reserved Korean audience responded enthusiastically - standing and clapping wildly at the end of the show.

The musical is based on the film of the same title in 1977 and attempts to reflect the uncontrollable desire of all young people to escape a boring life and seek a more adventurous one. Well-known pop favorites by the Bee Gees spice up the overall mood musically and emotionally.

Tony (Sean Mulligan) is urged to choose his love between Stephanie Mangano (Jayde Westaby), a girl who works in Manhattan and symbolizes his dream of escape, and Annette (Rebecca Dent), the girl who deeply loves him.

Mulligan`s character demonstrates seasoned skills, revealing his highly developed dancing abilities that create an aura of a charismatic figure. Mulligan, who began dancing at the age of four, is a veteran actor who knows how to translate emotions into a performing language.

Before joining the international tour production, Mulligan enjoyed strong popularity for playing Tony in the latest London production, reflecting his rich experience on the musical stage.

He had starred as Tony for an Australian production of "Saturday Night Fever" and played Sonny in "Grease."

Together with Jayde Westaby, the two form a dazzling duo. Westaby majored in dancing and acting at Sandra Needham School of Dance and Bird College of Performing Arts and then joined various productions including Bird Theatre Company, taking major roles.

Westaby proved her acting talent as Stephanie for the British tour of "Saturday Night Fever" last year.

Meanwhile, Rebecca Dent, who played Annette, has an interesting background. She won the top award at a British television station`s reality program "Musicality" and took up the role of Roxie Hart in "Chicago," which was aired on the television channel.

Dent also joined the British tour of "Saturday Night Fever" last year. Besides playing Annette, she also appeared in films and other art performances, expanding her coverage.

The National Theater of Korea is not exactly designed for musical performances, but the London team pulled off a better-than-expected performance, thanks largely to the overwhelming power of dancing and singing by enthusiastic cast members.

Not only the duet performance by Tony and Stephanie but also a solo act by Annette drew strong responses from local audiences, with the live stage orchestra team generously keeping the volume of heart-pumping music higher.

The only problem was poorly managed Korean subtitles that often missed cues and lagged in pace, confusing Korean audiences who relied entirely on the subtitles.

On several occasions too many sentences were cramped together in a single subtitle screen, weakening dramatic suspense. The translation from English into Korean also seemed to need editing.

"Saturday Night Fever" will run through March 3 at the National Theater of Korea, and is set to be staged at the Opera House in the southeastern city of Daegu March 9-18. Tickets are 40,000 won ($42) to 120,000 won. For more information call (02) 532-2188 or visit www.interpark.com for reservations.

(insight@heraldm.com)



By Yang Sung-jin