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REVIEW AI too reveres Shakespeare in musical 'Voice of Hamlet'
The stage for "Voice of Hamlet: The Concert" at the National Theater of Korea's Haneul Theater in central Seoul / Courtesy of Emotional Theatre
By Pyo Kyung-min
Algorithm pens book, music for rock concert-style one-person show
Shakespeare’s timeless classics inspired countless adaptations for centuries — and now artificial intelligence (AI) is entering the stage.
Premiered May 16 at the National Theater of Korea's Haneul Theater, "Voice of Hamlet: The Concert" is the world's first musical created by artificial intelligence (AI) based on the Bard's iconic tragedy, "Hamlet."
Reimagined as a rock concert-style one-person show, the show was developed using an original AI-powered script and a composition model built by the production company Emotional Theatre.
Despite its tech-savvy origins, the musical closely follows the plot of the original play.
At its center is Hamlet's quest to avenge his father, the former king of Denmark, who was murdered by his brother Claudius. The prince's internal struggle and descent into madness form the emotional core of the piece.
But unlike the original, which unfolds through a cast of characters in dialogue, "Voice of Hamlet: The Concert" renders the drama as a solo performance. Hamlet is the sole character on stage, delivering more than 20 songs alone in a rock concert-style setting. The result is an intimate, internalized retelling — one that draws the audience deep into Hamlet’s psyche as though witnessing his thoughts in real-time.
A one-person show of this scale demands extraordinary stamina and skill, but the cast includes some of Korea's most acclaimed musical theater actors — Ock Joo-hyun, Shin Sung-rok, Min Woo-hyuk and Kim Ryeo-won — offsetting any dissonance from knowing the work was written by AI.
Emotional Theatre trained a self-made AI model with years of theater data.
According to the company, the AI was tasked with crafting a scenario based on two key concepts — "monopolylogue" and "concert" — first generating a draft in English. That version was then translated into Korean and revised through extensive back-and-forth dialogue between the creative team and the AI, eventually resulting in a final script.
In writing music, the AI aimed to reflect Hamlet's emotional complexities through songs while weaving key lines from Shakespeare's text into melodies.
The score was finalized by music director Kim Sung-soo, known for his work on the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" and the smash hit Netflix series "Squid Game," who reviewed and arranged the AI's compositions into fully realized musical numbers.
Actor Ock Joo-hyun performs onstage for "Voice of Hamlet: The Concert" at the National Theater's Haneul Theater in Seoul's Jung District. Courtesy of Emotional Theatre
Despite its AI origins, the performance felt anything but technology-driven.
Attended by this reporter, the May 28 performance featured actor Ock Joo-hyun, commanding the stage with her striking presence. Accompanied by a five-piece band, her powerful vocals carried rock-inspired numbers, while her emotionally raw portrayal of Hamlet's anguish left the audience breathless.
Performing some 20 songs solo over the span of 80 minutes is no small task. Yet Ock seemed to gather strength as the show progressed, her performance building toward an emotional crescendo. Though best known for headlining massive productions, she brought the same intensity to the more intimate, round-stage setting of Haneul Theater.
While the original "Hamlet" ends in unrelenting tragedy, the AI added moments of levity for modern audiences.
One scene sees Hamlet, pretending to be mad, break the fourth wall and engage directly with the audience, giving the crowd a chance to laugh, relax and even sing along. The once-silent audience rose to their feet, responding enthusiastically to Ock's iconic charisma.
"Voice of Hamlet: The Concert" runs through June 28.