German producer Achim Freyer’s latest production of “Das Rheingold,” part of Wagner’s “Ring Cycle,” was unveiled to the media in Seoul, offering yet another interpretation of the epic music drama. ” The “Ring Cycle” is a “Gesamtkunstwerk,” in which music, drama, language, light, stage design, costumes and drawings all come into play, Freyer said Wednesday at a press conference held after a showc...

The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company will introduce the new contemporary dance works of three young local artists from Sept. 6-9 at Seoul Arts Center’s Jayu Theater. The upcoming performances are part of the KNCDC’s “Step-Up” project, dedicated to finding, supporting and developing new works of local artists. Sixty-eight works were submitted for consideration, from which three works wer...

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Neil Simon, the prolific and Pulitzer Prize-winning US playwright celebrated as the king of comedy who won more Oscar and Tony nominations combined than any other showbiz writer, died on Sunday. He was 91. The brains behind more than 30 plays, 20 screenplays and five musicals, Time magazine dubbed him the "patron saint of laughter." Many of his works are classics of 20th centu...

There are now three Korean ballerinas at the Paris Opera Ballet as Kang Ho-hyun recently joined the company after a year-long training period. Founded in 1669, the Paris Opera Ballet is one of the most prestigious ballet companies in the world, together with The Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet and the Mariinsky Ballet. Attracting numerous talented dancers from around the world, the renowned national...

The two renowned Canadian circus companies are presenting shows that offer audiences a dose of escapism from the daily grind. Just around the corner is Cirque Eloize’s “Cirkopolis,” to be staged July 5-8, at the LG Arts Center in Seoul. A total of 12 multidisciplinary performers will perform against a backdrop of atmospheric lighting by Nicolas Descoteaux, inventive video images by Alexis Laure...

Based on a 1988 children's novel by the widely-loved British author Roald Dahl, the musical "Matilda" has toured the United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand since its West End premier in 2011. For its British producer, the Royal Shakespeare Company, "Matilda" is the second major musical production of works by contemporary writers, going beyond their usual repertoire...

Korean contemporary dancer and choreographer Ahn Eun-me will premiere her interpretation of North Korean dance in Seoul next month. Under the title of “North Korea Dance by Eun-me Ahn,” Ahn reimagines traditional Korean dance, in particular that of North Korea. The upcoming performance by the Eun-Me Ahn dance company runs from June 1-3 at Arko Arts Theater in central Seoul. Two popular North K...

Since its launch in 1975, the Broadway musical Chicago has set a string of boundary-pushing records: the show was revived Broadway in 1996 and the ongoing revival became the longest-running American musical in Broadway history. In South Korea, the show was first staged in 2000 with local casting. Since then, the South Korean production has set its own share of unprecedented records in the South ...

The last time the Scottish Ballet performed in Seoul was in 1992 as part of the cultural entourage accompanying Prince Charles and Princess Diana. After more than a quarter of century, Scottish Ballet, led by artistic director Christopher Hampson, will perform its adaptation of the Brothers Grimm tale “Hansel and Gretel” at the LG Arts Center from May 23 to May 27. The Glasgow-based ballet comp...

The contemporary circus show “Bosch Dreams” comes to the LG Arts Center from Friday to Sunday. “Bosch Dreams” is a 2016 co-production by Montreal-based The 7 Fingers and Copenhagen-based Theatre Republique, led by artistic director Samuel Tetreault and French video artist Ange Potier. First initiated upon a request made by the Hieronymus Bosch 500 Foundation to mark the 500th anniversary of his ...

Fans of opera can expect to see more Korean singers performing local productions. Artistic Director of the Korea National Opera Yun Ho-gen pledged to introduce more Korean productions and original Korean operas during a press conference held in Seoul to promote the company’s upcoming “Manon.” Yun was appointed to the post on Feb. 9. Yun, who started at the Stadttheater Gieseen in 1999, previous...

‘On the stage, anything is possible’

Universal Ballet Company will hold its second gala premiere from Friday to Sunday. Celebrating its 34th anniversary this year, the ballet company will give special performances comprising 11 scenes from works it has produced over the years. They include major scenes from “Swan Lake,” “Onegin,” “Giselle,” “Le Corsaire,” “Don Quixote,” “The Love of Chunhyang,” “Multiplicity, Forms of Silence and E...

Singer-turned-actress Ivy stars in ’Red Book‘

Adding an original opera to the vast array of cultural offerings during the Olympics period, Chosun Opera Company’s opera “Seonbi: The Noble and Wise Man” will be staged at the Gangneung Dano Culture Center on Saturday. The opera performance will be accompanied by the Herald Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Kim Bong-mi. Marked by the characteristics of traditional Korea, the opera hopes...