Da Young Leem

As a South Korean theatregoer living in South Korea, I have always been interested in artists of Asian nationalities pursuing their artistic careers on Broadway. Whenever I heard more and more stories of artists of foreign nationalities who had already coursed amazing paths with their professional careers, I felt more connected to Broadway and American culture in general, even though I have been living in Korea for most of my life.

'Seasons of Love', one of the most well-known numbers of RENT has been sung in various South Korean media. It would not be an exaggeration to say that 'Seasons of Love' is a musical number that all South Koreans would have at least once, along with 'This is the Moment' from JEKYLL & HYDE. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of RENT in Korea, 'Seasons of Love' was sung by actors who wrote the history of RENT in South Korea along with the actors of the current production. On July 5th, 2020, Seensee Company organized 'Rent Homecoming Day' to celebrate the 20th anniversary of RENT in Korea. In this show, some of the original Korean cast of RENT appeared in the show as cameos and a total of 47 actors came out after the curtain call to introduce themselves and to sing a specially arranged version of 'Seasons of Love'.

With a title that may arouse a lot of questions about what the show will be about, THE GODDESS IS WATCHING successfully ended its 6th production. With actors who participated in the show for several productions along with actors who are participating in this show for the first time, THE GODDESS IS WATCHING created another production filled with emotional and stirring performances that made the audience think once more about the sorrowful past.

Seoul Performing Arts Company(SPAC) comes back with another original musical this year. ALONG WITH THE GODS: LAND OF THE LIVING is a sequel to ALONG WITH THE GODS, which is now a major SPAC repertoire. Just like ALONG WITH THE GODS, the sequel is also an adaptation of the webtoon of the same title. While ALONG WITH THE GODS mainly dealt with the afterlife of people, ALONG WITH THE GODS: LAND OF THE LIVING focuses on the current life of people.

The first half of 2019 was a rather interesting moment for the Korean theater industry. Three shows that dealt about Galileo Galilei - LIFE OF GALILEO, THE FINAL TESTIMONY, and SIDEREUS - were staged at the same time, and it led many Korean theatregoers to learn and understand more about Galileo Galilei's life.

On the last day of your life, will you have anything you regret not doing? Will you regret not learning a new sport? A new language? FLY LIKE A BUTTERFLY, a new show in the Seoul Performing Arts Company's repertoire, successfully ended its first run on May 12th.

What is the truth, and how do we know that it is the truth? Galileo Galilei answers that what you can see is the truth, and people will believe what they see as the truth. However, he finds out that the era that he lives in is not yet ready to accept the unconventional truth. LIFE OF GALILEO comes to Korea again as one of National Theater Company of Korea's 2019 repertoire.

The poet who sang of beauty and hope during the darkest of times. The poet who felt ashamed at himself because all that he could do during the Japanese Colonial Era was to write poems instead of going out and fighting against the Japanese. One of Korea's favorite poets, Yun Dong-Ju's life is depicted on stage again.

As the lights of the audience dim out, the audience on the first floor can hear small footsteps behind them. As the footsteps come closer, voices of children ring out and break the silence. 'People say nice things when you die.' 'They call it a eulogy.' 'Hey, I'll do yours if you do mine!' 'How's that going to work?' 'Oh, right... How about whichever comes first? Deal?' 'If I say yes, can I go?' 'Yes.'

A gray stage welcomes the audience as they enter the theatre. The stage seems very gloomy compared to other stages that people would have seen. When the first musical number starts, the audience meets a middle-aged woman sitting alone in the middle of the stage, while the other three characters move around the stage. The woman is expressionless, and whereas the musical number and the other characters seem lively, the woman in the middle of the stage is the only one who is cold and dull.

The encore production of THE FINAL TESTIMONY successfully ended its one-month encore run on August 26th after 39 performances, 2 special performances, and 4 concerts. The creative team of MAMA DON'T CRY came together once again to create THE FINAL TESTIMONY, and many Korean theatergoers praised this musical for its attractive numbers and how it depicted its rather heavy topic in a lighter and enjoyable way.

After its try-out performance in 2010 at the Daegu International Musical Festival, BUNGEE JUMPING OF THEIR OWN made its stage premiere in 2012. In 2013, it came back for a second production. Until this year, BUNGEE JUMPING OF THEIR OWN was a musical that countless South Korean theatergoers yearned to see again. As a response to the fans of this musical, DAL Company and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts came together to revive BUNGEE JUMPING OF THEIR OWN in 2018. When the news that BUNGEE JUMPING OF THEIR OWN is going to come back to the theaters this year spread, this musical became the most anticipated original musical revival of this year.

Four students, four talents. The revival of the play B CLASS touched the heart of the audience by showing four students with different talents fighting their way through the hardest, but also the most memorable moment of their lives. The show beautifully depicts four students in their teens with different talents trying to overcome their hardships and get together as a team to perform their graduation show and the accreditation for graduation.

Seoul Performing Arts Company's production of ALONG WITH THE GODS is an adaptation of the well-known 'webtoon' or webcomic of the same title. The hit webtoon was released in 2010, made its stage premiere in 2015, and came back for a second run in 2017. It was also made into a movie that was released in December 20th, 2017. The 2018 revival of the musical brings together artists of the Seoul Performing Arts Company and famous musical actors in Korea.