The holiday from Labor Day on May 1st to Children's Day on May 5th and the substitute holiday on May 6th allows for a maximum of 6 days of 'golden holiday' if one takes a day off on May 2nd. In the family month of May, how about enjoying cultural activities with family, friends, or loved ones?
◆ Riding a Magic Carpet with Kim Junsu and Lee Sung-kyung… Musical ‘Aladdin’
You can see Kim Junsu, Jung Sung-hwa, and Lee Kyung-seong on the same musical stage. It is the musical ‘Aladdin’.
The musical ‘Aladdin’ is based on the Academy Award-winning Disney animation of the same name (1992). It landed in Korea 10 years after its Broadway premiere in 2014.
The musical ‘Aladdin’ has been performed in 11 productions across 4 continents, attracting about 20 million audiences, making it a globally successful representative work. With a magical stage, intense choreography, and attractive costumes, it vividly unfolds the beautiful love and genuine friendship story of Aladdin, the Genie, and Jasmine, harmonizing with Alan Menken's famous songs ‘Friend Like Me’ and ‘A Whole New World’.
Kim Junsu, who debuted in the music industry with the group TVXQ, made his musical debut in 2010 with ‘Mozart!’ after leaving TVXQ in 2009. He showcased his enduring ticket power after winning the Best Actor award for ‘Elisabeth’ at the 6th The Musical Awards in 2012.
Kim Junsu, Seo Kyung-soo, and Park Kang-hyun play the role of ‘Aladdin’, Jung Sung-hwa, Jung Won-young, and Kang Hong-seok play the ‘Genie’, Lee Sung-kyung, Min Kyung-ah, and Choi Ji-hye play ‘Jasmine’, Lee Sang-jun and Hwang Man-ik play the ‘Sultan’, Yoon Seon-yong and Lim Byeol play ‘Jafar’, Jung Yeol plays ‘Iago’, Seo Man-seok plays ‘Kassim’, Yook Hyun-wook plays ‘Omar’, and Bang Bo-yong and Yang Byeong-cheol play ‘Babkak’.
Performance time is 150 minutes (including a 20-minute intermission). Suitable for ages 8 and up. It will be performed at Charlotte Theater until June 22, then at Busan Dream Theater.
◆ A Legendary Actor in a Steady Seller Musical… Musical ‘Jekyll & Hyde’
Since 2008, actor Hong Kwang-ho, who has participated in a total of 4 seasons, has played a leading role in making the musical ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ a unique box office hit, being a ‘Legend’ that needs no further description, and is creating a meaningful stage for the 20th anniversary of ‘Jekyll & Hyde’.
The musical ‘Jekyll & Hyde’, which opened on November 29 last year, is based on the British novel ‘Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ published in 1886, dealing with the ‘duality of good and evil, and human nature’ expressed through ‘Jekyll’ and ‘Hyde’. Since its first Korean production in 2004, it has surpassed 1.8 million cumulative audiences over the past 20 years, firmly establishing itself as a best-selling and steady seller musical.
In ‘Jekyll & Hyde’, you can hear the popular number ‘This Moment’ sung by Hong Kwang-ho, who won the Best Actor award at the 9th Korean Musical Awards. In addition to Hong Kwang-ho, you can also see the performances of actors Shin Sung-rok, Choi Jae-rim, Jeon Dong-seok, and Kim Sung-cheol, who are active on stage and in media.
Casting includes Hong Kwang-ho, Shin Sung-rok, Choi Jae-rim, Jeon Dong-seok, and Kim Sung-cheol as ‘Jekyll/Hyde’, Yoon Gong-ju, Ivy, Lin Ah, Sun-min, and Kim Hwan-hee as ‘Lucy’, and Jo Jeong-eun, Choi Soo-jin, Son Ji-soo, and Lee Ji-hye as ‘Emma’. Shin Sung-rok and Choi Jae-rim as ‘Jekyll/Hyde’, Ivy and Lin Ah as ‘Lucy’, and Lee Ji-hye as ‘Emma’ have been on stage since March.
Performance time is 170 minutes (including a 20-minute intermission). Suitable for ages 14 and up. It will be performed at Blue Square Shinhan Card Hall until May 18.
◆ Family Love and Brotherhood… Musical ‘Love is Riding the Rain’ 30th Anniversary Performance
The original musical ‘Love is Riding the Rain’ returns with a 30th-anniversary performance.
‘Love is Riding the Rain’, which opened on the 29th of last month, has been a representative work in discussions of domestic original musicals since its premiere in 1995, winning 4 awards including Best Actor and Best Composer at the 1996 Korean Musical Awards, showcasing the solid foundation of Korean original musicals.
This work, which has produced many stars and is nicknamed the ‘incubator of the musical world’, began with actors Nam Kyung-joo, Nam Kyung-eup, and Choi Jung-won at its premiere in 1995, and has since seen numerous top stars such as Um Ki-joon, Shin Sung-rok, Kim Mu-yeol, Kim So-hyun, Oh Na-ra, Oh Man-seok, Park Eun-tae, Kai, Yoon Gong-ju, Kim So-hyang, Kim Kyung-soo, Hong Rok-ki, So Yoo-jin, Lee Hee-jin, Moon Se-yoon, and Jang Do-yeon pass through its stage over the past 30 years.
Kim Hyung-mook, Song Yong-jin, and Choi Dae-cheol play the role of older brother Dong-wook, while Denny An (god), Hui (Pentagon), Kim Jae-han (OMEGA X), Jo Hwan-ji, and Jong-hyung (DKZ) play the role of younger brother Dong-hyun. Musical actors Park Ga-eun and Ahn Hyun-ah will play the role of a wedding event company employee, Miri.
Performance time is 100 minutes (no intermission). Suitable for ages 8 and up. It will be performed at Baegam Art Hall until July 13.
◆ The Story of the First Space Exploration Dog and the Grown-up Little Prince… Musical ‘Laika’
Actor Park Jin-joo, who is active in dramas, variety shows, and musicals, transforms into ‘Laika’, a dog that flew into space because it loved humans too much.
‘Laika’ is inspired by the true story of Laika, the first space exploration dog that embarked on a journey into space aboard the Soviet Sputnik 2 during the Cold War, destined never to return to Earth.
The work depicts the story after Laika has left for space. It is set that Laika meets the character of the Little Prince from the novel ‘The Little Prince’ on planet B612. The Little Prince appears in the play as an adult who has come to despise humans, unlike when he was a child.
In particular, Park Jin-joo, who plays Laika, has firmly established herself as a ‘trustworthy actor’. She deserves a big round of applause. She has received praise for her performance in dual roles as Caroline and the AI robot ‘Rokebot’, creating another life character in her filmography through ‘Laika’.
Park Jin-joo, Kim Hwan-hee, and Na Ha-na (as Laika), Jo Hyung-kyun, Yoon Na-moo, and Kim Sung-sik (as the Prince), Seo Dong-jin and Jin Tae-hwa (as the Rose), and Han Bo-ra and Baek Eun-hye (as Caroline and Rokebot) will be performing.
Performance time is 160 minutes (including a 15-minute intermission). Suitable for ages 8 and up. It will be performed at Doosan Art Center's Yeonggang Hall until May 18.
[Shin Young-eun, Star Today Reporter]
