2010 Musicals in Korea

Here are some exciting musicals to watch this 2010. "Contact" will open the New Year on Jan. 8-17 at LG Arts Center and on Jan. 22-31 at Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Complex. Starring celebrated ballerina Kim Joo-won, the dance musical will be presented only through dances without songs.

"Mozart!" will premiere in Korea on Jan.19 to Feb. 22 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The Austrian musical will be made into the local rendition with the starry casting of Xiah of TVXQ, Im Tae-kyung, Park Kun-hyung and Park Eun-tae who all will alternate playing Mozart.

"The Count of Monte Christo" composed by celebrated musician Frank Wildhorn renowned for "Jekyll and Hyde" will be shown in Korea for the first time. The Swiss musical is the newest one of Wildhorn's works. Based on the 1845 novel of the same name, the musical will be adapted into the Korean version on April 22 to June 13 at Universal Art Center.

Among others, "Billy Elliot" might be the most anticipated musical next year. Slated to run from August in 2010 to February in 2011 at LG Arts Center, the musical swept the 10 Tony Awards this year since it premiered last year on Broadway. The Korean production is now underway for searching for the best actors for the roles.

Also, "Tears of Heaven," the first original American commission for Korea, will make its debut next year and the exact date has not been decided. The original story takes place in Vietnam in 1968 and is a love triangle between a beautiful Vietnamese singer, a Korean private, and an American Colonel set against the backdrop of the days during the Vietnam War. The full production in Korea will feature dance, mask work, and other unique forms of puppetry, dance, and combat choreography. The score represents a combination of Asian, French, and pop genres.

For the revival productions, "Miss Saigon" (May 13-Sept. 12 at Chungmu Art Hall), "Jekyll and Hyde" (Nov.23-May 1 in 2011 at Charlotte Theater) and "Aida" (December at Seongnam Art Center) will be presented

Full Story:
Show Must Go On: High-Quality Musicals, Plays in 2010
by Chung Ah-young (chungay@koreatimes.co.kr )

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/12/151_57791.html