No green light for ‘The Great Catsby’
Catsby, played by former g.o.d. member Danny Ahn, reacts after his girlfriend tells him she is leaving him in “The Great Catsby” at CGV Pop Art Hall. Provided by Story P
When I heard that Danny Ahn, who used to be with the band g.o.d., was starring in the new musical “The Great Catsby,” I had my doubts. He was the band’s rapper and didn’t sing, but now he had top billing in a musical. Sadly, my expectations were not far off the mark.
The musical is based on a popular Web comic of the same name by cartoonist Kang Do-ha that was originally published on Daum in 2005. It was also made into a television series on cable channel tvN in 2007.
As its name indicates, the plot is loosely based on the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Catsby (Ahn) is a jobless 26-year-old college grad who lives with his friend Hound (Choi Dae-cheol), a tutor. Catsby has been in a relationship with his girlfriend, Persu (Kim Na-rae), for six years, but one day she dumps him to marry a rich widower.
But just when Catsby starts to fall for Sun, Persu returns to try to get Catsby back. It’s not long before she also confesses that she is pregnant - with Hound’s baby. Turns out, she and Hound had a fling after she got married.
Sun tries to get Persu to leave, but with no luck. Hound, meanwhile, decides he needs a new life and leaves Persu and Catsby together.
Anyone who has gone through rejection can identify with the characters, but the story was not quite strong enough to hold my attention. About halfway through, I found myself wishing for a remote control so I could fast-forward to the end.
For a musical, there aren’t many songs here, and they are weak ones at that. And for a romantic drama, there weren’t many duets. Just one, actually. Given the emotional nature of the plot, it would have been nice to see more of the characters singing together.
The staging is another problem. The play has moved from its original venue in Daehangno to the much bigger space at CGV Pop Art Hall in Yeongdeungpo, a much bigger space, and the performers don’t quite have the presence to fill it.
The play does capture some of the issues people in their 20s face, but it fails to deliver its message of love and loss and ultimately left me wondering what connects Catsby to his literary forebear. He loses his friendship and is still out of a job. Is winning the heart of the one he loves his definition of success? Unfortunately, there’s no green light for this Catsby.
*“The Great Catsby” runs until April 17 at CGV Pop Art Hall in Times Square. Performances start at 8 p.m. on weekdays, at 3 and 7 p.m. on Saturdays, and at 2 and 6 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets range from 40,000 won ($36.83) to 50,000 won. For more information, call (02) 501-7888.
By Lee Sun-min [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]
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데니안-심은진 뮤지컬 ‘위대한 캣츠비’ 업그레이드 공연
강도하 작가의 인기 웹툰을 원작으로 한 뮤지컬 '위대한 캣츠비'가 대학로에서 타임스퀘어로 무대를 옮겨 업그레이드된 무대를 선보인다.
지난해 god 출신 데니안과 베이비복스 출신 심은진의 만남으로 화제를 모았던 뮤지컬 '위대한 캣츠비'는 관객들의 뜨거운 성원에 힘입어 3월4일부터 영등포 타임스퀘어에 위치한 CGV 팝아트홀에서 관객과 다시 만나게 됐다.
'순정파 백수' 캣츠비 역의 데니안은 '클로저', '나생문', '벚꽃동산' 등 연극무대와 드라마 '추노' 등으로 꾸준히 연기력을 쌍으며 '캣츠비'에 완벽히 빠져들었다는 평가를 받고 있다. 순진하고 소심한 백수지만 사랑 앞에서는 순정파인 캣츠비의 섬세한 감정연기를 탁월하게 표현해 원작이 가진 감동적인 러브라인을 제대로 살렸다는 호평을 받았다.
캣츠비에게 아낌없는 사랑을 쏟는 선 역은 심은진이 맡았다. 지난해 '위대한 캣츠비'로 뮤지컬 신고식을 치른 심은진은 좀 더 안정된 연기력과 노래실력으로 객석을 가득 채우겠다는 각오다. 심은진이 맡은 선은 어디로 튈지 모를 엉뚱함과 밝고 유쾌한 모습이 매력적인 인물이다. 심은진 본연의 매력이 선과 절묘한 조화를 이뤘다는 평가다.
네 남녀의 복잡하게 꼬인 러브스토리 뮤지컬 '위대한 캣츠비'는 데니안, 심은진을 비롯해 정민, 유하나, 이승은, 전재홍, 최대철, 김나래, 김경화, 박기원, 이현주, 이상민, 오희영이 출연하며 4월 17일까지 CGV 팝아트홀에서 공연된다.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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