2023 May 3 Ticket

Peerless Pansori | Son Yeol-eum | Shim Chung | Beautiful Mint Life | Beethoven's Secret | Hero | Seoul Jazz Festival 2023 | Death Note | Six The Musical | Mamma Mia! |

PEERLESS PANSORINational Theater of Korea, Daloreum Theater

"Peerless Pansori I" presents “Sugungga” sung by company singers Kim Jun-soo and Yoo Tae-pyunyang. [NATIONAL CHANGGEUK COMPANY]

May 6 – 7: The National Changgeuk Company has been creating its “Peerless Pansori” series since 2021 in an attempt to modernize pansori, or traditional Korean narrative singing. The newly produced work for this year will feature not only the member of the state-run company Lee Kwang-bok, but also Ahn Yi-ho, a main vocalist and a soriggun (traditional narrative singer) for hit band Leenalchi, known for songs like “Tiger Is Coming.”

Tickets range from 30,000 won ($22.90) to 40,000 won.

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m.

Dongguk University Station, line No. 3, exit 6

SON YEOL-EUMSeoul Arts Center, Concert HallMay 2 and 6: Pianist Son Yeol-eum recently released all 18 of Mozart’s piano sonatas in a six-CD box set titled “Mozart Complete Piano Sonatas” through Naïve, a French label with whom Son signed in January, and will be holding a series of concerts across the country with a stop in Seoul’s Seoul Arts Center on May 2 and 6.

Son is more than familiar with Mozart and is recognized for her profound insights and intelligent interpretations.

She performed Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 21” at the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition, in which she came in at second place. She also performed the piece at the 2019 BBC Proms and also recorded Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K.467” with Sir Neville Marriner (1924-2016), the late conductor and violinist who supervised Mozart's music scores for the Oscar-winning 1984 film “Amadeus.”

During the concert in Seoul, she’ll be playing “No. 1 in C Major, K. 279,” “No. 2 in F Major, K. 280,” “No. 3 in B-flat Major, K. 281,” “No. 3 in E-flat Major, K. 282,” “No. 5 in G-Major, K. 283” and “No. 6 in D-Major, K. 284.”

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. on May 2 and at 5 p.m. on May 6.

Tickets range from 40,000 won to 110,000 won.

Nambu Bus Terminal Station, line No. 3, exit 5

SHIM CHUNGSeoul Arts Center, Opera TheaterMay 12 – 14:The Universal Ballet Company’s (UBC) “Shim Chung,” which was created specifically for global stages in 1986, will amaze ballet fans as well those who love traditional Korean dance performances. The work has been a pillar of the company’s repertoire for more than 20 years. It tells the story of Korea’s beloved folktale of Shim Chung, a girl who sacrifices herself to allow her blind father to regain his eyesight.

For the upcoming performance, UBC dancers Kang Mi-sun, Hong Hyang-gee, Han Sanggi and guest dancer Park Sang-won will alternate the role of Shim Chung.

Tickets range from 20,000 won to 100,000 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

BEAUTIFUL MINT LIFEOlympic Park

Sunwoojunga [MAGIC STRAWBERRY SOUND]

May 13 and 14: Spring is here and so is popular music festival “Beautiful Mint Life.”

This year’s lineup of artists includes 10cm, Jukjae, Soran, Sunwoojunga, pictured, Jung Joon-il, Peppertones, Lacuna, Roy Kim, Low Hanging Fruits, H1-KEY among others. The gate for the festival opens at 12 p.m.

A day ticket costs 110,000 won.

Olympic Park Station, line No. 5, exit 3

BEETHOVEN’S SECRETSejong Centers for the Performing Arts, Grand Theater

The musical "Beethoven's Secret," starring singer Park Hyo-shin as Beethoven, began its month-long run at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. [EMK MUSICAL COMPANY]

Through May 15:The musical is about an “immortal romance,” as the show calls it, between Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) and his secret lover Antonie Brentino (1780-1869). Brentino is widely speculated by scholars to be the “eternally beloved” referenced in Beethoven’s letters that were found in his room after he died.

The musical premiered in January and successfully ended its first season and is now back again for another four-week run at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Center in central Seoul. The show stars singer Park Hyo-shin and musical actors Park Eun-tae and Kai as Beethoven. Jo Jung-eun, Ock Joo-hyun and Yoon Gong-joo will alternate the role of Antonie. It is performed in Korean, without foreign language subtitles.

Tickets range from 80,000 won to 170,000 won.

Gwanghwamun Station, line No. 5, exit 8

HEROBlue Square, Shinhan Card HallThrough May 21: The Korean musical “Hero,” which centers on the life of Ahn Jung-geun, the Korean independence fighter who was executed in 1910 after assassinating Japanese Resident-General Ito Hirobumi, will be back again at the Blue Square in central Seoul.

The musical has recently been turned into a film by director Yoon Je-kyun.

The musical stars actor Jeong Seong-hwa who plays the lead character Ahn in the film as well. Musical actor Yang Jun-mo and Min Woo-hyuk will also alternate the role with Jeong.

The musical 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.

Hangangjin Station, line No. 6, exit 2

SEOUL JAZZ FESTIVAL 2023Olympic ParkMay 26 – 28:This year’s 15th edition of the popular Seoul Jazz Festival will be held for three days.

The festival will feature artists including Sergio Mendes, Mika, Damien Rice, Gregory Porter, Robert Glasper, Kamal, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Mina Okabe and Sigrid. Korean acts include Crush, AKMU, Jung Seung-hwan, Taeyang, Epik High, among many others. A three-day ticket costs 420,000 won.

Olympic Park Station, line No. 5, exit 3

DEATH NOTE Charlotte TheaterThrough 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 Obha 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 Yagami Light, 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 Yagami Light, while Kim Jun-su and Kim Seong-chul alternate the role of L. Jang Eun-ah and Lee Young-mi will alternate the role Amane Misa.

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

SIX THE MUSICALCOEX Shinhan Card ArtiumThrough 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-seon and Kim Ji-sun playing Anna 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

MAMMA MIA!Chungmu Arts CenterThrough 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 actresses 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

*Most tickets are available at ticket.interpark.com/global or by calling 1544-1555

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]