2023 June 8 Ticket
Published: 07 Jun. 2023, 17:02
Seoul Arts Center, Opera Theater
June 9 – 11: The Universal Ballet Company (UBC) is staging Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” one of the world’s most popular ballets, which has been part of the UBC’s repertory for nearly 30 years.
UBC’s Kang Mi-sun, Elizaveta Cheprasova and Hong Hyang-gee will alternate the role of Odette and Odile. Ballerina Park Sang-won will also join the cast as a guest dancer. For the role of Prince Siegfried, dancers Konstantin Novoselov, Rhee Hyon-jun, Dmitry Diachkov and Lee Dong-tak will alternate.
Tickets range from 10,000 won ($7.70) to 120,000 won.
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Nambu Bus Terminal Station, line No. 3, exit 5
MOZART!
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Grand Theater
June 15 – Aug. 22: The growing pains of genius musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart unfold on the stage in the musical “Mozart!” “Mozart!” Under the guidance of his strict yet loving father, Mozart and his sister Nannerl have performed for aristocrats since they were young, but now that he is older, Mozart grows sick of the society he belongs to. He wants to escape from reality, so he goes on a trip.
The death of his mother eventually brings him back to his former life and the musician makes up his mind to stand up against people who try to control him. The musical took home 11 prizes from various local musical award shows when it premiered in 2016.
Singer-actor Suho, a member of K-pop boy band EXO, and musical actors Lee Hae-jun, Kim Hee-jae and Yoo Hee-seung, alternate in the role of Mozart.
The musical starts at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays; and at 3 p.m. on Sundays. There are no shows on Mondays.
Tickets cost between 70,000 won to 170,000 won.
Gwanghwamun Station, line No. 5, exit 8
KING LEAR
Seoul Arts Center, CJ Towol Theater
Through June 18: Veteran actor Lee Soon-jae’s “King Lear” is returning to be staged at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. Korea has staged productions of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy before, but according to the organizers, all of them were so heavily abridged they could barely be considered “truly Shakespeare’s.”
But this production, according to the organizers, is "as close to the original” as possible, with a running time of three hours and 20 minutes. Lee is onstage for most of that time.
Lee will appear in all scheduled performances. He will not alternate with another actor, as is common in Korean stage productions.
Though there are numerous Korean translations of "King Lear," director Lee Hyun-woo decided to translate it himself.
Tickets range from 44,000 won ($33.20) to 99,000 won.
The performance begins at 7 p.m. on weekdays, at 3 p.m. on weekends. There are no performances on Mondays.
Nambu Bus Terminal Station, line No. 3, exit 5
DEATH NOTE
Charlotte Theater
Through June 18: The Korean production of the musical “Death Note” is making a return at the Charlotte Theater in southern Seoul.
The musical is based on the Japanese manga series of the same title by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.
With music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics by Jack Murphy, the musical premiered in Korea in 2015.
The story follows a high school student named Light Yagami, who stumbles upon a notebook that kills those whose names get written in it.
Actors Hong Kwang-ho and Ko Eun-sung alternate the role of Light Yagami, while Kim Jun-su and Kim Sung-cheol alternate the role of L. Jang Eun-ah and Lee Young-mi will alternate the role Misa Amane.
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends and public holidays. There are no shows on Mondays.
Tickets range from 80,000 won to 160,000 won.
Jamsil Station, line No. 2, exit 3
BALLET PRELJOCAJ’S “SWAN LAKE”
LG Arts Center, LG Signature Hall
June 22 – 25: French dancer and choreographer Angelin Preljocaj’s version of “Swan Lake” will be staged at the LG Arts Center in Magok, western Seoul. His “Swan Lake,” which premiered in France in 2020, is a contemporary dance piece he created while working on “Ghost” in 2018, a work he was choreographing to commemorate French-Russian ballet dancer Marius Petipa.
His take on “Swan Lake” combines Tchaikovsky’s music with contemporary arrangements.
This work contains the story of a capitalist who tries to build a huge factory in front of a beautiful lake and a swan that is sacrificed for environmental destruction. The creative and elegant choreography unique to Preljocaj stands out. The overwhelming group dance that looks like a living swan and the impressive ballroom scene in which 26 dancers sit on chairs are also eye catching.
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets range from 50,000 won to 110,000 won.
Magoknaru Station, line No. 9, exit 3 or 4
SIX THE MUSICAL
COEX Shinhan Card Artium
Through June 25: British musical comedy “SIX,” with the book, music and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, is being staged at the COEX Shinhan Card Artium in southern Seoul. Right after the original production came to an end, the Korean production began in the same venue.
The show revolves around the six wives of Henry VIII, who compete to tell their story of how much they suffered due to their husband, in the style of a pop concert.
The musical premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017 and was performed by students from Cambridge University. It then went to West End in 2019, followed by Broadway in March 2020.
The cast includes Lee Areumsol and Son Seung-yeon playing the role of Catherine of Aragon, Bae Soo-jeong and Kim Ji-woo playing Anne Boleyn, and Park Hae-na and Park Ga-ram playing Jane Seymour, Choi Hyun-sun and Kim Ji-sun playing Anne of Cleves, Kim Ryeo-won playing Katherine Howard and Hong Ji-hee and Yoo Joo-hye playing Catherine Parr.
Tickets range from 60,000 won to 120,000 won.
The show begins at 8 p.m. on weekdays and at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on weekends and public holidays. There are no shows on Mondays.
Samsung Station, line No. 2, exit 5 or 6
SUMI JO IN LOVE
Seongnam Arts Center
June 29: Korea’s celebrated soprano Sumi Jo is touring the country with her latest album “In Love” and will be making a stop at the Seongnam Arts Center in Gyeonggi on June 29.
Though she’s known for singing beautiful arias in European languages, all the songs on “In Love” are in Korean. The genre also ranges from gagok (original Korean vocal music) to pop.
Jo has released more than 40 albums in a wide array of music genres since her European operatic debut in 1986. But she said it seems like she’s put the most attention on and energy into creating this album, perhaps because the songs are outside her usual comfort zone.
Tickets range from 77,000 won to 143,000 won.
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Imae Station, Bundang line, exit 1
MAMMA MIA!
Chungmu Arts Center
Through June 25: The Korean production of this megahit musical is returning to the Chungmu Arts Center in central Seoul.
Sophie is about to get married and wants her father to give her away, but the problem is she doesn’t know who her father is. After taking a peek in her mother’s diary, she discovers that he could be one of three candidates, so she tricks them all into attending her wedding.
The cast includes veteran musical actors Choi Jung-won and Shin Young-sook as Donna.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. on weekdays; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends. There are no shows on Mondays.
Tickets range from 70,000 won to 150,000 won.
Sindang Station, line No. 6, exit 9
CHICAGO
Blue Square, Shinhan Card Hall
Through Aug. 6: Broadway’s hit musical Chicago is celebrating 25 years and is visiting Korea for two months. The Broadway production premiered in Korea in 2003, and was performed again in 2015 and then in 2017.
People who have missed those three opportunities may like to try this year and see why this show was honored with six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy.
The musical is based on a 1926 play of the same name by journalist Maurine Dallas Watkins about actual criminals and crimes she reported on in Chicago.
The musical revolves around Roxie Hart, an ambitious chorus girl, who murders her lover.
Actor Logan Floyd plays Velma Kelly, Katie Frieden plays Roxie Hart, Jeff Brooks plays Billy Flynn and Illeana Kirven plays Matron “Mama” Morton.
Tickets range from 80,000 won to 170,000 won.
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends and public holidays. There are no shows on Mondays.
Hangangjin Station, line No. 6, exit 2
*Most tickets are available at ticket.interpark.com/global or by calling 1544-1555
BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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