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A musical... that took Korea by storm two years ago... is back... with some familiar
faces and some new ones as well. The musical is about Korea's traditional singing
style, pansori. Our cultural correspondent Park Ji-won has
the details. This is one of the most beloved stories among the Korean people.
"Seopyeonje" was originally a Korean novel published in the 1970s.
It was later adapted into a successful film in the '90s, and then into "changgeuk,"...
a modernized pansori performance genre. And of course, it was also turned into a musical
First adapted into a musical in 2010,...it won five Musical Awards,... and was put back
on the stage in 2012. Now,... "Musical Seopyeonje" is back again
after two years. It's being put on by the same staff,... but
with some new songs and new actors. "Musical Seopyeonje" centers on one of the
most original plots of the novel,... in which traveling pansori artist Yu-*** blinds his
daughter Song-hwa... to develop her singing talents.
However, different from the original plot,... "Musical Seopyeonje" gives Song-hwa's brother
***-ho a new twist. In the most recent adaptation, he wants to
become a rocker,.. rather than a pansori artist. Seasoned Broadway musical actor Michael Lee
joins the cast,... to play ***-ho.
"At the core of the character of ***-ho, he is somebody who is searching for his voice.
This is something that all artists can relate to that all actors no matter what culture
you are part of can relate to."
The musical presents diverse genres of music,... from pansori and pop to rock music.
"Pansori is the main theme of the musical, however, not all the music is from the pansori
genre. I paralleled other genres of music like pop and rock... to make the pansori stand
out for its beauty."
K-pop group MBLAQ's G.O. also joined the cast to play ***-ho.
Star pansori singer Lee Jaram, and famous musical singer Cha Jiyeon have returned to
the stage to reprise their past roles. The musical runs until May 11th at Universal
Arts Center in Seoul. Park Ji-won, Arirang News.