'Il Tenore' collects multiple honors including grand prize at Korea Musical Awards
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- LEE JIAN
- [email protected]
![A scene from the musical ″Il Tenore″ at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho District, southern Seoul. [OD COMPANY]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/14/1c281420-bf9b-4849-b4b8-23b1e2c40cdb.jpg)
A scene from the musical ″Il Tenore″ at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho District, southern Seoul. [OD COMPANY]
Homegrown musical "Il Tenore" won the grand prize at this year's Korea Musical Awards held Monday at the Universal Arts Center in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul.
The accolade is given to an original musical that debuted the previous year.
"I have a new goal, and that is to stage a musical on Broadway with Korean actors, in Korean," OD Company's lead producer Shin Chun-soo said upon receiving the award, "and 'Il Tenore' could be that musical."
Also behind Broadway's ongoing "The Great Gatsby," Shin is the first Korean producer to launch a show in New York successfully.
"Il Tenore" writers Hue Park and Will Aronson also launched their older musical "Maybe Happy Ending" at Broadway's Belasco Theatre late last year.
![Actor Hong Kwang-ho as aspiring opera singer Yun I-seon in the musical ″Il Tenore″ at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho District, southern Seoul. [OD COMPANY]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/14/b77ac349-4f5b-437a-b426-e8b3abf01bf7.jpg)
Actor Hong Kwang-ho as aspiring opera singer Yun I-seon in the musical ″Il Tenore″ at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho District, southern Seoul. [OD COMPANY]
"Il Tenore" is the duo's more recent show, which premiered in December 2023 and ran through May last year in Seoul. It follows an aspiring opera singer and two student activists fighting against Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945). Together, they stage Korea’s first opera as a covert means of promoting Korean independence. The plot is inspired by the life of pioneering Korean tenor Lee In-seon (1906–1960).
The musical took home two more awards. Hong Kwang-ho, one of the alternating leads on the show, won Best Male Actor and Aronson won Best Composer.
![Actor Kim Soo-ha walks the red carpet of the 2025 Korea Musical Awards at Universal Arts Center in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Monday.[YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/14/d380f0da-af39-47af-8785-1f0cd414f884.jpg)
Actor Kim Soo-ha walks the red carpet of the 2025 Korea Musical Awards at Universal Arts Center in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Monday.[YONHAP]
Actor Kim Soo-ha received the Best Female Actor award for her performance as Eurydice in the licensed production of "Hadestown."
"'Hadestown' is like a gift to me that came when I felt worn out," Kim said. "My character Eurydice comforted me every time I was on stage as her."
"Hadestown," which ran for the second time from July to October last year, nabbed six awards on Monday, the most out of all the winners.
![A scene from ″Hadestown″ at the Charlotte Theater in Songpa District, southern Seoul. [S&CO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/14/6edc1ac5-a4a9-4609-a62d-a902c826bed0.jpg)
A scene from ″Hadestown″ at the Charlotte Theater in Songpa District, southern Seoul. [S&CO]
Actor Choi Jung-won, who reinterpreted the original male role of Hades as a female, received the Best Female Supporting Actor title. Actor Kim Min-seok received the Best Male Rookie Award for his debut performance as the show's male lead, Orpheus. The show also won Best Music Director, Best Stage Design and Best Producer.
The Best Musical award, which considers both licensed and homegrown shows staged in the previous year, went to "Dear Evan Hansen" and "Guren."
![Actor Choi Jung-won walks the red carpet of the 2025 Korea Musical Awards at Universal Arts Center in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Monday. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/14/4abb085a-8994-4585-968e-65cc08065033.jpg)
Actor Choi Jung-won walks the red carpet of the 2025 Korea Musical Awards at Universal Arts Center in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Monday. [YONHAP]
The licensed production of "Come From Away," staged in Korea for the first time last year, won Best Choreography and Best Ensemble. The licensed production of "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812" won Best Supporting Male Actor and Best Costume.
The Best Female Rookie award went to Jeon Ha-yeong of "The Butterfly on the Bund 1939."
![A scene from the musical ″Dear Evan Hansen″ at the Chungmu Arts Center in Jung District, central Seoul. [S&CO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/14/dfd6b1b3-c05e-45c8-bad4-2112c002bcf1.jpg)
A scene from the musical ″Dear Evan Hansen″ at the Chungmu Arts Center in Jung District, central Seoul. [S&CO]
The Korea Musical Awards, which marked its ninth edition this year, is hosted by the Korea Musical Association and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Culture and Arts Council Korea.
A total of 87 musicals were considered for 21 awards this year. Of them, 33 were homegrown shows, which is the highest-ever number of new shows to be considered by the awards ceremony since its founding in 2016.
![A scene from the musical ″Come From Away″ in Gwanglim Art Center in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Dec. 12, 2023. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/14/8cd60b38-0153-430e-8c2d-cf31bab35d93.jpg)
A scene from the musical ″Come From Away″ in Gwanglim Art Center in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Dec. 12, 2023. [YONHAP]
BY LEE JIAN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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