‘The Mission’ so bad, free tickets for a 2nd showing

A musical so awful that people are getting another chance to see it?

That’s precisely what the Korean company that produced the musical “The Mission” announced Wednesday. It is offering free tickets to unhappy theatergoers who saw the “poor” production during its premiere week, Feb. 2 to 6, so they can see the revamped musical.

This is the first time in Korean theater that a musical production has offered customers another viewing because of a badly produced performance.

“We admit that the quality of the performance was poor,” said Sang Sang Musical Company. The company, which invested 12 billion won ($10.7 million) in the show, also blamed the pressure of preparing for a worldwide tour of the production.

The company’s Web site and the musical review board on the Interpark ticketing agency had been taken offline after complaints flooded in about the musical.

The musical, which is based on the 1986 Oscar-winning film “The Mission” directed by Roland Joffe and renowned for its music by Ennio Morricone, is scheduled to run at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Grand Theater in Seoul until Feb. 26.

The musical, however, suffered from harsh reviews, which criticized the production’s poor management of changes in stage settings and a mediocre singing ensemble. The debate over the musical became intense, and Interpark shut down its online review board due to a flood of complaints.

“We have altered some of our casting and complemented the stage setting such as the lighting and other additional effects and we are also adding 15 more chorus members,” said Sang Sang.

The production company said that online review board will be reopened this morning. Those who wish to receive the free tickets can make a reservation until Sunday by calling the agency at 1688-9721.

By Choi Min-woo [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]