The musical “Red Book” has canceled its performances for two weeks, after lead actor Cha Ji-yeon was confirmed to have COVID-19. Atheod, the production company behind the musical, announced through social media on Monday that all performances from Tuesday to July 17 have been canceled. A day before the announcement was made, actor Cha tested positive for the virus. According to Atheod’s announcement, all cast and staff members for the show have been tested. Several cast me

Performance July 6, 2021

Actor Cha Ji-yeon, 39, has been tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday, although the rest of the cast on the musical she was starring in tested negative. Cha’s agency C-JeS Entertainment announced Sunday that Cha -- who has been starring in musical “Red Book,” while preparing for upcoming musical show “Gwanghwamun Sonata” and an upcoming Netflix series “The Bride of Black” -- was confirmed with COVID-19. “Cha was being tested for COVID-1

Performance July 5, 2021

Though the works of Russian composer Rachmaninoff are often appreciated for their ardent passion and overflow of emotions, pianist Cho Jae-hyuck aims to examine a more reserved, thought-out side of the Romantic composer’s works with his latest recording of his piano concerto pieces. In Korea, Cho recently released a studio-recording of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, and No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30, under the French music label Evidence. The international relea

Performance July 3, 2021

After a yearlong postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Korea National Opera went onstage Thursday for the Korean premiere of Puccini’s 1910 opera “La Fanciulla del West.” After the Italian production team completed a two-week, mandatory self-quarantine, the national opera troupe took to the stage Thursday at the Seoul Arts Center. Every other seat at the theater was left empty due to coronavirus restrictions. “La Fanciulla del West” was written by Itali

Performance July 2, 2021

The summer edition of the 2021 Chuncheon International Mime Festival will open Monday, under the title “Summer:Movement.” The summer festival held in the city of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province will kick off with its Mime Fringe program from Monday to Wednesday. The program was launched in 2018 to support young mime artists. This year it has been expanded to also include artists who have been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 13 acts, the organizers will award one act with prize

Performance July 2, 2021

The Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra is to present its new original musical, “Geumak,” Aug. 18 to 29 at the Gyeonggi Arts Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. The fantasy period musical is set in the Joseon era (1392-1910). A mysterious event surrounding a forbidden music score from the Silla Kingdom (57 BC-AD 935) unfolds at Jangagwon, the institution in charge of court music and dance. The orchestra’s Artistic Director Won Il directs the production. Won was the music director fo

Performance June 30, 2021

The Korea National Opera is set for the Korean premiere of Puccini’s 1910 opera “La Fanciulla del West.” The upcoming performance, set to run from Thursday at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, features sopranos Karine Babajanyan and Lilla Lee, tenors Marco Berti and Oliver Kook. Puccini wrote the opera after watching the play “The Girl of the Golden West,” written by the American author David Belasco, in New York. The opera is set in a mining camp in Calif

Performance June 29, 2021

Soprano Sua Jo, known locally as Jo Su-a, has released her debut album “La Prima Donna” under the Sony Classical label Monday. According to Sony Music Entertainment Korea, the album features well-known arias such as “Lascia Ch’io Pianga” and “Ombra Mai Fu” from Handel’s 1711 opera “Rinaldo,” and Italian baroque music such as “Amarilli, Mia Bella” and “Amor Ch’attendi” written by Caccini and “Caro Mi

Performance June 28, 2021

Concert pianist Cho Seong-jin, the first Korean to win the 17th International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015, is to release a new album featuring Frederic Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 on Aug. 26. Like the debut studio-recorded album in 2016, Cho joined hands with the London Symphony Orchestra led by the Italian maestro Gianandrea Noseda. Though Cho has performed the work on multiple occasions including the debut performance at the BBC Proms in 2018, it is the first time for the concer

Performance June 27, 2021

The National Dance Company of Korea’s “Sanjo” is to begin run at the National Theater of Korea on Thursday. In the 80-minute dance show, the national dance company visually depicts the aesthetics of “sanjo,” which refers to a style of traditional Korean music in which an instrumental solo performance is accompanied by “janggu” drumming. 　 While the term sanjo directly translates to “scattered melodies,” it features the gathering and scatte

Performance June 24, 2021

Cho Seung-woo is to return as the iconic rock star character Hedwig in the rock musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” According to production company Shownote, Cho, Oh Man-seok, Lee Kyu-hyeong, Ko Eun-sung and Ren from boy band Newest will take the title role in the 13th run of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” in South Korea. The musical, written by Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell, tells the story of a genderqueer rock singer from East Germany. The singer, Hedwig, lea

Performance June 23, 2021

Sound immersive play “In This Garden We Loved” began its run at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, complete with 60 speakers installed across the theater. The play is the third edition of the Sejong Center’s Contemporary S series project that aims to present innovative, original show productions. It is the first time that French writer Pascal Quignard’s play “Dans Ce Jardin Qu’On Aimait” (“In This Garden We Loved”) is bei

Performance June 23, 2021

Sejongdaero, one of the best known streets in Seoul and a main thoroughfare of downtown Seoul, is ready to welcome pedestrians.  Named after King Sejong (1397-1450) of the Joseon era, who led the invention of Hanguel, the writing system for the Korean language, the broad avenue runs from the southern end of Gwanghwamun Plaza, passes the city gate Sungnyemun and continues to Seoul Station.  In May, the construction of Sejongdaero Forest Road was completed, ending months of constructio

Travel June 12, 2021

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, drinking at home has become the new norm. It is nearly impossible to grab a drink after work with friends in the Seoul city area, with drinking and dining establishments only allowed to operate until 10 p.m. and nonessential gatherings of five or more people banned. Rather than just quenching the immediate thirst with beer from a supermarket or reaching for the same old green bottle of soju, more people -- not just alcohol aficionados -- are joining in on t

Food June 12, 2021

“Beetlejuice” tells a fun, humorous and exciting story about loneliness and death, said actor Yu Jun-sang who plays the eponymous character in the Korean-language version of the musical. Yu, who deftly moves between the small screen, the silver screen and the stage, plays the iconic Beetlejuice character, a green haired ghost who has been in existence for 9.8 billion years and is obsessed with life. Wishing to befriend a couple who recently became ghosts in an accidental death, h

Performance June 9, 2021