Yoo Yeol to produce ‘Bremen Town’ for kids

Twenty years after his debut in an MBC song contest for college students, Yoo Yeol, a 45-year-old singer and radio deejay, has produced a musical for children, “Bremen Town Musicians,” which opens on April 14. Mr. Yoo won the grand prize in the 1986 singing contest and has enjoyed huge popularity ever since.
His musical is based on a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm and will be staged at the Chongdong Theater in central Seoul twice a day. The story is about a dog, a donkey, a cat and a cockerel forming a band and going on an adventure. The stage director for the musical is Han Jin-seop, who was involved in the production of the popular musicals “Mamma Mia” and “I Love You.”
Asked why he produced a children’s musical though he himself is still single, Mr. Yoo said, “I like my nephews and nieces, and I enjoy playing with children.”
Three years ago, Mr. Yoo founded a company, Yoo Media, which publishes audio books for children.
Asked why it’s a musical this time, Mr. Yoo said he loved watching musicals and even appeared in one, “Padam Padam Padam,” with actress Yoon Bok-hee in the 1990s. “Like automobiles, there are not many countries that produce their own musicals,” he said.
Mr. Yoo has been the deejay for the KBS radio program, “Yoo Yeol’s Music Album,” for 12 years. Explaining why he decided to produce a musical, he said, “It wasn’t for the money. I wanted to share high-quality culture with many other people. Culture is about sharing, isn’t it?”
“Even if all 66 shows are sold out, I will still lose money. I am doing it for the future. The most important audiences are children,” he said.
Mr. Yoo said the musical adopted special makeup techniques, while the actors play their own music and there are a lot of traditional musical instruments featured from all over the world.

by Choi Min-woo