Spring musicals, performances and concerts in Korea to watch out for

Hedwig | Swan Lake | King Lear | Seventeen Tour | Mae Muller | Matthew Bourne's Romeo and Juliet

HEDWIGCharlotte Theater March 22 ― June 23: A dynamic mix of rock music and monologue, this eight-time Tony-nominated musical follows the life of a band called The Angry Inch. The Korean production of the musical premiered in 2005.

The story revolves around a boy named Hansel living in East Germany in 1988.

One day, a U.S. lieutenant proposes to marry Hansel if he changes his gender to female. Hansel eventually decides to adopt the name Hedwig and undergoes a sex change operation, but it fails. He flies to Kansas only to find that he has been dumped.

Undeterred, Hedwig starts wearing wigs and makeup, forms a band called The Angry Inch and becomes a rock star.

The Korean production of this musical features musical performers Jo Jung-suk, Yu Yeon-seok and Jeon Dong-seok, who alternate the main role.

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays; at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on weekends; and at 3 p.m. on public holidays. There are no shows on Mondays.

Tickets range from 80,000 won ($60) to 150,000 won.

Jamsil Station, line No. 2, exit 3

SWAN LAKELG Arts Center Seoul

Korean National Ballet's ″Swan Lake″ [KNB]

March 27 ― 31: The Korean National Ballet presents the timeless ballet classic “Swan Lake.”

Of the many versions of “Swan Lake,” the national ballet company will perform the work of choreographer Yuri Grigorovich, who is called a living legend in the ballet world.

Grigorovich’s version cuts out some parts that could be felt as less dynamic and adds more dance sequences such as pas de deux and folk dance to maximize the fun of watching the ballet performance.

The music of Tchaikovsky is arranged more rhythmically compared to other versions.

Unlike the original story that ends with a tragic ending, this version has a happy ending where the protagonists fight off the main villain Evil Genius.

The performance starts at 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and at 3 p.m. on weekends.

Tickets are priced from 5,000 won to 100,000 won.

Magongnaru Station, line No. 9, exit 3 or 4

KING LEARNational Theater of Korea, Daloreum TheaterMarch 29 - April 7: The National Changgeuk Company is staging “King Lear,” a traditional Korean opera version of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.

The famous tale of “King Lear” was recreated as a traditional Korean opera changgeuk. It was written by playwright Bae Sam-sik, who also wrote “Trojan Women” for the company. The tragic life of a human being depicted in Shakespeare’s original story is woven together with the teachings of Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher, particularly through his comparisons of life and water.

Using Bae’s storyline, pansori (traditional Korean narrative singing) composer Han Seung-seok composed the lyrics for the singers while the music is written by Jung Jae-il. Han said he concentrated on creating sounds that contain hatred, madness and ruins and used some parts of Gyeonggi minyo, or folk songs from Gyeonggi region, to create them. Jung said he combined the sounds from Korean traditional and Western instruments using virtual musical instrument software to create a new kind of sound.

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and at 3 p.m. on weekends. There are no shows on Mondays.

Tickets range from 20,000 won to 50,000 won.

Dongguk University Station, line No. 3, exit 6

SEVENTEEN TOUR "FOLLOW” AGAIN TO INCHEONIncheon Asiad Main StadiumMarch 30 and 31: Boy band Seventeen is holding a two-day concert in Incheon.

The upcoming concerts are an encore of its "Follow” world tour in a new series titled "'Follow' Again."

Seventeen's EP "FML" made it to No. 1 on the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's (IFPI) Global Album Chart for 2023, which was released on Feb. 28. "Super,” the lead track of "FML,” also sold over 6.29 million copies since its release in April of last year, becoming the only K-pop artist to sell over 3 million copies of an album on the day of its release.

Seventeen debuted in 2015 under Pledis Entertainment, one of HYBE's labels. It has 13 members: S.Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, DK, Mingyu, The 8, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino. The band is known for hit songs such as "Very Nice," "Clap," "Super" and “God of Music.”

The concert begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday and at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets range from 132,000 won to 198,000 won.

Asiad Stadium Station, line No. 2 of the Incheon Subway, exit 4

MAE MULLER LIVE IN SEOUL Yes 24 Live Hall

English singer and songwriter Mae Muller poses for pictures upon arrival at the premiere for the film ″Gassed Up″ on Feb. 7 in London. [AP/YONHAP]

April 23: In January, English singer-songwriter Mae Muller announced that she'll be taking a break from her music career due to the "pressure of chasing hits.” However, she announced she would be visiting Korea for her first solo concert next month. She is known for her song "Better Days” (2021), a collaboration she did with American rapper Polo G and Swedish music collective Neiked.

The concert begins at 8 p.m.

Tickets cost 99,000 won.

Gwangnaru Station, line No. 5, exit 2

MATTHEW BOURNE'S "ROMEO + JULIET” LG Arts Center Seoul

Matthew Bourne's ″Rome + Juliet″ is slated to come to Korea in May to be staged at the LG Arts Center in western Seoul. [LG ARTS CENTER]

May 8 ― 19: Matthew Bourne's reinterpretation of "Romeo + Juliet” is coming to Korea this May. One of the most popular choreographers at the moment, Bourne has transformed this tragic Shakespearean story into a tale of the “raw passion and vitality of the youth fiercely resisting established norms,” according to LG Arts Center.

The backbone of the Shakespearean story is still there, along with the music of Prokofiev's ballet, but the choreographer transposed the story into an asylum for young people. It's set in the Verona Institute, which looks like a mental institute.

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on weekends.

Tickets range from 30,000 won to 140,000 won.

Magoknaru Station, line No. 9, exit 3 or 4

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

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