Korea's own 'Marie Curie' musical cast to hold mini-concert celebrating West End debut

In celebrating the West End debut of homegrown musical "Marie Curie," Korea's Culture Ministry will host a mini-concert featuring the show's Korean and British cast, among other events, it said through a press release Friday.

Poster of the upcoming production of ″Marie Curie,″ a homegrown musical that is headed to West End's Charring Cross Theater next month [MARIE CURIE MUSICAL]

In celebrating the West End debut of the homegrown musical "Marie Curie," Korea's Culture Ministry will host a mini-concert in London featuring the show's Korean and British cast, among other events, it said through a press release Friday.

The "Marie Curie" cast, including British actor Alisa Davidson and Korean actors Kim So-hyang and Ock Joo-hyun, will stage a collaborative performance at the Korean Cultural Centre UK on June 10.

Davidson plays Marie Curie in the show about Curie's life. Davidson is best known for playing the lead, Veronica Sawyer, in "Heathers the Musical" on West End.

Kim was the first to play the Marie Curie role in 2020 at Chungmu Art Center, central Seoul. Ock joined the cast in the show's second run, staged later that year in the city.

Prior to the collaborative concert, the ministry will hold a press night with the British and Korean cast and creatives on June 7 at Charing Cross Theatre. It will also screen a recorded performance of the Korean "Marie Curie" on June 8 at the Korean Cultural Centre UK and host an open talk show with actors Ock and Kim and producer Kang Byung-won on the same day at the venue.

"Marie Curie" is set to begin previews on June 1 and will officially open on June 7 at Charing Cross Theatre.

The musical follows the life of Polish scientist Marie Sklodowska Curie and her journey to find a cure for cancer. Its book and lyrics are by Choun See-un, and the music is by Choi Jong-yoon. Award-winning director Sarah Meadows, best known for the new musical “Ride," took the helm of West End's "Marie Curie."

The production received funding from the government after being selected as "New Musical of the Year" by the Arts Council Korea, an organization under the Culture Ministry, in 2018. Since its premiere in 2020, "Marie Curie" in Korea has established a solid local fan base and concluded its third run this February.

The show saw overseas success after a screening at Poland's Korea Cultural Center in Warsaw, in 2021. The Korean cast was subsequently invited to the Warsaw Music Gardens Festival in 2022 where it was awarded the Złota Konewka grand prize.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]