'Mata Hari' is theatrical delight, but empty

The set of “Mata Hari at the Moulin Rouge,” designed by Oh Pil-young, revives the lavish Moulin Rouge theater from the early 1900s. The scenery changes from the dressing room of Mata Hari to a bench by the Seine and from Captain Ladoux’s dining room to an aviation shed where second lieutenant Armand trains pilots. / Photos courtesy of EMK Musical Company

Singer-turned-actress Ok Joo-hyun portrays the dancer and spy Mata Hari in the musical “Mata Hari.”

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The world premiere of the musical "Mata Hari at the Moulin Rouge" raised its curtain at the Blue Square in Seoul on March 29.

The name Mata Hari immediately relates to the glamorous, erotic image of the dancer who was executed on charges of espionage during World War I. The musical provides the visual pleasure describing the splendor of the exotic dancer and the French cabaret Moulin Rouge, but it feels rather hollow behind the gilded set and tuneful music.

Produced by Korea's Eum Hong-hyun and his EMK Musical Company, the Korean musical aims to attract the international market

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Europe, London's West End and ultimately to be on Broadway, the world's capital of musical theater. Eum developed the show over four years with a budget of some 12.5 billion won ($11 million), a record for a Korean musical.

The musical is helmed by Jeff Calhoun, a Tony nominee for the Broadway production of "Newsies," Korea's favorite theater composer Frank Wildhorn of "Jekyll and Hyde" and Wildhorn's longtime collaborator lyricist Jack Murphy. A Korean design team backed up the production, including set designer Oh Pil-young, costume designer Han Jung-lim and lighting designer Koo Yun-young.

Mata Hari (played by Ok Joo-hyun) dances in a scene from the musical “Mata Hari”

The musical revolves around the dramatic life of dancer-spy Mata Hari, born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle in the Netherlands. She lives a successful life as an exotic dancer at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, after escaping a dreadful life in the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies. But the glamour and comfort are thrown into peril when French Captain Ladoux threatens to reveal her troubled past if she does not become a spy for France.

Playwright Ivan Menchell said Mata Hari is a woman who chose to take her life in her own hands, rather than live the tragic one given to her, and the show focuses on this extraordinary woman who stands as a symbol today, not dictated to by men around her.

Mata Hari is one of the world's most famous women spies, but the character in the musical is no more than an ordinary woman in love. The plot goes at a snail's pace throughout 165 minutes of running time, portraying Mata Hari's romance from falling in love with French pilot officer Armand by the Seine River to her life-risking visit to Berlin to meet her lover after he is taken as a prisoner of war.

As the story leans toward Mata Hari's love, her life as an erotic double-agent pales into insignificance. Captain Ladoux, chief of the French Intelligence Division, draws the exotic dancer into the secret agent job, but he gets torn between his patriotism and obsession for Mata Hari, which also makes the plot go astray.

Mata Hari (Kim So-hyang), left, and Armand (Jung Taek-woon) in a scene from the musical “Mata Hari”

The story is told through Emcee, the character who crisscrosses between the Moulin Rouge show and Mata Hari's retrospection. Menchell said it is fitting that the MC of Moulin Rouge tells the story as Mata Hari was created on the stage of the French cabaret and became the world's greatest star there.

Praised by composer Wildhorn as a "gift," Ok Joo-hyun impeccably portrays the multi-faceted femme fatale Mata Hari. Ok is said to be the early inspiration for the production and she is indeed suitable for the female spy, who has both beauty and brains. Actress Kim So-hyang alternates in the role with Ok.

Despite the hackneyed plot, “Mata Hari” is great entertainment.

Calhoun, who directed and choreographed the show, made every move of each cast count as well as the set going in and out of the stage. "For me choreography is less of steps but more of movements,” Calhoun said in an interview with Korean media. “The movement of scenery and lighting is as important as that of dancers."

His immaculate choreography indeed takes "Mata Hari" to another level as there is not a dark change in the show and the sets move gracefully as a part of the show.

In accordance with Calhoun’s direction, set designer Oh’s brainchild steals the limelight. The set changes 52 times during the show, which means the scene changes roughly every three minutes.

In a set reenacting the lavish Moulin Rouge theater from the early 1900s, the scenery smoothly changes from the dressing room of Mata Hari to a bench by the Seine and from Captain Ladoux's dining room to an aviation shed where second lieutenant Armand trains pilots in a twinkle.

The problem is that the set extravaganza and incoherent description of characters overpower the stellar performance of the actors.

The 23-member orchestra brings out the best of the grand yet subtle music of Wildhorn. Sometimes the music is as big as the scope of WWI, while it is reduced to just a few instruments to portray profound love between Mata Hari and Armand. Wildhorn’s signature high-belting songs are flawlessly performed by top-notch Korean talent, especially Ok playing the titular role.

Musical director Jason Howland's arrangement adds a sense of time and space to the orchestration, taking audiences to early 20th century Europe, crossing over France, India and Germany.

Ryu Jung-han, Kim Jun-hyun and Shin Seong-rok take the role of Captain Ladoux, while Um Ki-joon, Song Chang-eui and Jung Taek-woon, also known as Leo of VIXX, alternate playing Armand.

"Mata Hari at the Moulin Rouge" runs through June 12. Tickets cost from 60,000 to 140,000 won. For more information, visit www.musicalmatahari.com or call 1577-6478.