By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
Romania's "Dracula," Britain's "Jack the Ripper," Italy's "Romeo and Juliet," Denmark's "Hamlet," Egypt's "Cleopatra" and France's "The Three Musketeers" have all received the touch of Czech musicians, being born again as world-hit stage performances. And now they have been transformed into Czech icons.
A concert held at the Children's Grand Park in Seoul last week featured a sample of the shows ― "The Three Musketeers," "Cleopatra," "Hamlet" and "Dracula" ― as part of the Czech cultural festival.
The three-day extravaganza was in celebration of the opening of the NeungDong Stage in Forest.
"It was something planned when President Lee Myung-bak was in office as mayor of Seoul," Czech Ambassador Jaroslav Olsa Jr. explained in reference to how the Czech Republic got involved.
Czech musicals have a successful story to tell, the ambassador said.
The first hit musical "Dracula" opened a bright chapter for Czech musicals, which had gone through the darkest of times under Soviet influence.
"The musical Dracula was on stage nonstop for several years, becoming the first
Czech musical to make profits and gain wide-range acclaim," he said. The work, written by Czech composer Karel Svoboda, premiered in 1995.
The success inspired many musicians ― a few of whom gained worldwide recognition ― and their works made their way to Korea.
For Ambassador Olsa, this year is the perfect one for promoting Czech musicals because a few is already on their way to Korea.
"The Three Musketeers" will be premiered tomorrow at the Chungmu Art Hall, and "Jack the Ripper" will follow, Olsa said.
The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra led by conductor Vladimir Valek has also come to Korea for the festival.
Meanwhile, at the Naru Arts Center, Czech puppet performances, puppet-building workshops and exhibitions on Czech-Korean illustration and Czech castle legends illuminated young Korean audience.