2023 May 18 Ticket

Hero | Ilmu | Chicago | Seoul Jazz Festival | King Lear | Death Note | SIX the Musical | Mamma Mia |

HEROBlue Square, Shinhan Card Hall

Musical ″Hero″ is being staged at the Blue Square in central Seoul [ACOM]

Through 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, is being staged 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 Jung Sung-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 Jung.

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

ILMUSejong Center for the Performing Arts, Grand Theater

Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater's ″Ilmu″ will be staged for four days at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. [SEJONG CENTER]

May 25 – 28: Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater is presenting “Ilmu,” a traditional dance which used to be performed during Jongmyo Jeryeak ancestral rites. The literal meaning of ilmu is “line dance" and true to its name it sees groups of dancers perform in lines.

This traditional dance performance premiered last year and received great praise from both critics and audiences. The piece is a collaboration work by big names in the performing arts world — Jeong Hye-jin, artistic director of the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater designer and director Jung Ku-ho, and music director and choreographer Kim Jae-duk.

Tickets range from 30,000 won to 80,000 won.

The performance begins at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, at 5 p.m. on Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Gwanghwamun Station, line No. 5, exit 8

CHICAGOBlue Square, Shinhan Card HallMay 27 – Aug. 6:Broadway’s hit musical Chicago is celebrating 25 years and is visiting Korea for two months. The Broadway production premiered in Korea in 2003, and was performed again in 2015 and then in 2017.

People who have missed those three opportunities may like to try this year and see why this show was honored with six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy.

The musical is based on a 1926 play of the same name by journalist Maurine Dallas Watkins about actual criminals and crimes she reported on in Chicago. The musical revolves around Roxie Hart, an ambitious chorus girl, who murders her lover.

Actor Logan Floyd plays Velma Kelly, Katie Frieden plays Roxie Hart, Jeff Brooks plays Billy Flynn and Illeana Kirven plays Matron “Mama” Morton.

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

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends and public holidays. There are no shows on Mondays.

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

KING LEARSeoul Arts Center, CJ Towol TheaterJune 1 – 18:Veteran actor Lee Soon-jae’s “King Lear” is returning to be staged at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. Korea has staged productions of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy before, but according to the organizers, all of them were so heavily abridged they could barely be considered “truly Shakespeare’s.”

But this production, according to the organizers, is "as close to the original” as possible, with a running time of three hours and 20 minutes. Lee is onstage for most of that time.

Lee will appear in all scheduled performances. He will not alternate with another actor, as is common in Korean stage productions.

Though there are numerous Korean translations of "King Lear," director Lee Hyun-woo decided to translate it himself.

Tickets range from 44,000 won to 99,000 won.

The performance begins at 7 p.m. on weekdays, at 3 p.m. on weekends. There are no performances on Mondays.

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

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 Ohba 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 Light Yagami, 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 Light Yagami, while Kim Jun-su and Kim Sung-cheol alternate the role of L. Jang Eun-ah and Lee Young-mi will alternate the role Misa Amane.

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-sun and Kim Ji-sun playing Anne 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 Center

Actor Choi Jung-won in the Korean production of ″Mamma Mia!″ [YONHAP]

Through 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 actors 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]