Musical production company OD aims to make global splash with 'The Great Gatsby' and 'Il Tenore'

Shin Chun-soo, chief producer at OD Company, speaks during a press conference held at Coex on Thursday. (OD Co.)

South Korean musical theater producer OD Company has announced plans to create at least three original works, as it aims to expand to Broadway and beyond.

Led by CEO and chief producer Shin Chun-soo, the company is working on two musicals -- "The Great Gatsby," based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel of the same title, and "Il Tenore," a story about three college students who fall in love with opera in the 1930s.

"For genuine success in the global market, it is essential to enter and succeed in Broadway and the West End. We will strive to become a world-renowned musical producing company and make a new mark in the history of the Korean musical industry," Shin told reporters on Thursday during a press conference.

For Shin, who is Korea's first official member of the Broadway League, an association of theater producers and owners, it will not be his first stab at making it to Broadway. The musical, "Dreamgirls," which was first staged in 2009, failed to make it to Broadway while "Holler If Ya Hear Me" and "Doctor Zhivago" had short runs on Broadway.

"At that time, my mind was in a hurry and I lacked experience, so I couldn't make the work properly. Based on that painful failure, I gained confidence by faithfully going through every process such as local workshops and try-out performances. I have the belief and expectation that this time I can make it."

OD Company also plans to unveil several other works, including "The Light of Florence," which depicts the intense rivalry between Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, as well as "Captain Nemo," which was inspired by Jules Verne's novels, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth." They are also pursuing stage adaptations of the film, "August Rush," the novel, "Wuthering Heights," and "I Am Not Richard III," which is inspired by Shakespeare's play, "Richard III."

Since the company started in 2001 with the production of “Guys and Dolls,” Shin has produced numerous licensed and original musicals, including "Sweeney Todd," "Death Note," "Jekyll & Hyde," "Man of La Mancha," "Dracula," "Grease," "The Story of My Life" and more.

By Park Ga-young(gypark@heraldcorp.com)