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Experimental Musicals Becoming Trend

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By Chung Ah-young

Staff Reporter

Musicals are widening their scope experimenting with rap, scat and club music.

These non-traditional musicals with their novel formats and unconventional themes are rapidly winning over musical buffs these days.

Featuring only one music genre or music without any dialogue is becoming a big trend this year, blurring the boundaries of typical musicals _ a form of theater combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance.

``Cha Cha Cha''_ now showing at the Naksan Theater in Daehangno, Seoul, and running through Sept. 2 _ is a trot musical, an adaption of ``The Shiny Day,'' the original trot musical first staged in 2001.

The musical is intended to appeal to a wide variety of people who enjoy trot music, a unique Korean pop genre, which young stars such as Chang Yun-jung and Super Junior T are turning to.

Also, the first monologue musical will debut in September _ Broadway's ``George M. Cohan Tonight,'' the first one-man musical to be performed in Korea.

The musical, staged by Show Fac and Michigan Venture Captial in association with Dongyang Art Hall, runs from Sept. 7-Nov. 30 and shows the extraordinary life and career of Broadway legend George M. Cohan. The lively one-man show features more than 30 songs.