Creative Musical History Empress...The season's monumental journey that proved 30 years of life begins
Jan 23, 2025
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The musical 'Empress Myeongseong', which completed the Daegu and Busan performances in December successfully, announced the start of the 30th anniversary performance at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on the 21st. This season, Cha Ji-yeon (Empress Myeongseong role) and Kim Ji-won (Gojong role), as well as Yang Joon-mo, who played Gojong and Daewon-gun in the previous seasons of Empress Myeongseong, have taken on new challenges this time by transforming into Hong Gye-hoon. Veteran actors Lee Jung-yeol (played by Daewongun) and Moon Jong-won (played by Miura) successfully opened their first performance as the main characters.
The 30th anniversary performance of the musical 'Empress Myeongseong' gave the audience a special impression by adding a modern directing sense while continuing the traditional value of the work. The stage design utilizing the traditional aesthetics vividly reproduced the unique atmosphere of the times, and the drama, which delicately captures the relationship and emotions between the characters, made the audience more immersed in the play. In addition, the music, which exquisitely combines the sound of a grand orchestra with Korean emotions, further highlights the original number of 'Empress Myeongseong', maximizing the richness of the performance. The perfect chemistry between veteran actors who have been together for a long time and have preserved the essence of the work and the new cast, which added fresh energy, also added to the depth of the work and gave it newness.
In particular, the number 'I'll bear the weight of fate', which was added for the first time this season, consists of a trio of Empress Myeongseong, Gojong, and Hong Gye-hoon, drawing attention by conveying deep emotions that talk about Joseon's precarious fate with their own voices. In addition, 'Sutaegut', which evokes the best sense of immersion with a more intense stage production, music, and ensemble, and 'Dance Test', which catches the audience's attention with an unerring group dance, left a strong impression and received enthusiastic applause.
In this 30th anniversary performance, not only the performance, but also various auxiliary facilities and photo zones are attracting attention so that the audience can leave special memories. In the lobby, a Dancheong-decorated pillar and a photo zone covered with a tiled roof were provided, adding a background that seemed to paint a landscape and a seat, giving the impression of a time trip to the Joseon Dynasty. The audience is enjoying it in a long line, and the MD booth also reproduced the atmosphere of the Joseon Dynasty, providing a different experience as if entering history.
The work, which has a long history of 30 years, proved its reputation by receiving enthusiastic responses from the audience in this first performance. In various social media and communities, 30 years of time is overshadowed, modern and classic masterpiece!', It was an incredibly complete 165 minutes that this piece was made 30 years ago', 'It was my first musical in my life a long time ago, and it feels new to be able to see it again like this.' The orchestra with overwhelming immersion as if I was actually watching a scene in history and Korean traditional music was not insufficient for the whole family to sympathize with each other', It was full of favorable reviews, such as a season in which the work proved its vitality that could last 30 years.
Musical 'Empress Myeongseong' is a story of King Gojong, the 26th queen of the Joseon Dynasty, and a Empress Myeongseong who lived in a turbulent history, and premiered in 1995 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death. The musical is based on the play 'Fox Hunt' by renowned Korean writer Lee Moon-yeol, and was loved by composer Kim Hee-gap and lyricist Yang In-ja, who collaborated to perform more than 50 songs. In 2007, the cumulative audience exceeded 1 million for the first time among Korean creative musicals, and in 2009, it achieved 1,000 performances, proving its popularity.
The 30th anniversary performance of the musical `Empress Myeongseong' will feature Kim So-hyun, Shin Young-sook, Cha Ji-yeon, and Yang Joon-mo, Park Min-sung, and Baek Hyung-hoon as Empress Myeongseong, Son Joon-ho, Kim Ji-won, and Hong Gye-hoon. The work will be performed at the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul until March 30.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
