'Frida,' 'Lizzie': Musicals on remarkable women to hit stages in March

By Dong Sun-hwa

Two much-anticipated women-centric musicals are set to hit the stage next month.

“Frida,” which zooms in on the life of Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) ― the first 20th-century Mexican painter to have her painting hung in the Louvre Museum in Paris ― will be staged at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul from March 1 to May 29. It is an original production by EMK Musical Company that produced a series of hit musicals like “Excalibur” and “Rebecca.”

“Screenwriter/director Choo Jung-hwa intends to dedicate this musical to Kahlo, who sublimated her challenging life into art,” an EMK official said. “In our upcoming musical, Kahlo will reminisce about her days as a guest of a show titled, 'The Last Night Show.'”

Kahlo, who is reputed for her self-portraits and artworks inspired by the nature and relics of Mexico, was subject to various hardships in her life. At the age of six, she was stricken with polio and at 18, she suffered severe injuries in a bus accident. Her husband Diego Rivera, an iconic Mexican muralist who was 21 years her senior, was known to have had numerous affairs including one with Kahlo's younger sister.

Kahlo, however, did not succumb to these challenges and clawed her way through life with art, ending up crafting her own artistic universe that fuses fantasy and realism. The artist touched on diverse social issues ranging from gender and class to race with her paintings and brought several masterpieces to life, including “The Two Fridas” (1939) and “The Wounded Deer” (1946).

“Frida” is the most-anticipated show among all musicals that will premiere in 2022, according to a survey of 1,884 people conducted by online shopping platform Interpark in January. The role of Kahlo will be alternated by musical stars Choi Jung-won and Sophie Kim, with Jun Su-mi and Lisa taking the role of her husband.

Another female-centric show in the pipeline for March is “Lizzie,” which features only women. It is scheduled to be presented at Doosan Art Center in Seoul from March 24 to June 12.

Premiered in Korea in 2020, “Lizzie” is based on the story of Lizzie Andrew Borden (1860-1927), an American woman who was acquitted of murdering her father Andrew and stepmother Abby with an axe in 1892. This case, which occurred in Fall River, Massachusetts, is one of the most well-known mystery cases in American criminal history that has been portrayed in a slew of movies and theatrical productions.

Its musical version features Lizzie and three other women who testify for her at her trial ― Lizzie's elder sister Emma, the Borden's maid Bridget Sullivan and their neighbor Alice Russell.

Actors Jeon Sung-min, Yoo Ri-a and Lee So-jung are set to take the role of Lizzie, with Kim Ryeo-won and Yeo Eun playing Emma. Lee Yeong-mi and Choi Hyun-sun will perform Alice, while J-Min, Kim Su-yeon and Yoo Yeon-jeong of K-pop girl group WJSN (Cosmic Girls) will play Bridget. Director Kim Tae-hyung, who was behind the success of musicals like “Marie Curie,” will be leading the show.

Thanks to its powerful musical numbers and plot twists, “Lizzie” garnered positive reviews when it was first performed here two years ago.