Mega-Hit Film `King and the Clown Is Reborn as Traditional Musical

By Chung Ah-young

Staff Reporter

Is failure really but a stepping-stone to success? After the previous attempt to make a musical version of the mega-hit film, ``King and the Clown'' flopped last year, a whole new line-up, including staff and actors, is set to revive the musical once again.

The musical version of the film based on the play ``Yi'' was even discredited as ``the musical that audiences demanded refunds" last year.

In hopes of leaving the past behind, the title was revamped from ``Yi" to ``The King's Jester-Gonggil.''

The upgraded version of the musical, which is to be staged on Sept. 15-30 at Chungmu Art Hall in Seoul, will be reborn in a Korean traditional theatrical format adopting ``madangnori,'' a traditional outdoor performance in which audience-actor interactions are crucial.

Veteran playwright and director Lee Yoon-taek, renowned for his play, ``Ogu: The Ritual of Death,'' is the art director.

``Forget about the previous musical. You will not find any similarities between the new production and the previous one,'' Lee told reporters during its showcase on Tuesday.