Webbers Latest Musical to Debut in Seoul
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Musical composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has overcome numerous biases; among them, that musicals should avoid serious issues such as racial, political and religious issues.
Webber has successfully persevered against such taboos with his all-time hits, ``Cats,'' ``Jesus Christ Superstar'' and ``Evita.'' His impressive musical scores and lyrics are still loved by millions all over the world.
However, also included in his list is a title with a different tone, namely, ``The Beautiful Game.'' It is regarded as one of his more serious musicals.
Based on a documentary, the musical revolves around a group of teenagers growing up amid religious intolerance in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1969.
The musical premiered in 2000 at Cambridge Theater in London, and caused quite a sensation in the West End for over a year.
Now the musical will be reworked into a Korean adaptation in November as the sixth Webber's licensed musical.
The Korean production by the Seol & Company and sponsored by CJ Entertainment will feature leading musical stars Park Gun-hyung and Kim Do-hyun.
This is Park's return in three years since his latest work, ``Saturday Night Fever,'' which catapulted him to musical stardom.
Since then, he has been cast in TV dramas and films. ``I didn't know I would be doing a musical again three years later. The thought of starting again makes me both excited and scared at the same time,'' he told reporters at the press conference Monday.
``The musical is Webber's, but it fits well with Korean emotions as it has been adapted into a Korean version. We are making the musical as if we are starting from scratch,'' he said.
Park will play the main role of John, who experiences the emotional changes from political ambivalence to becoming an IRA (Irish Republican Army) terrorist.
Composed by Webber and lyrics by Ben Elton, the musical's title is originally from Pele's autobiography ``My Life and the Beautiful Game.''
Despite a total run of more than 11 months, the show never made it to Broadway.
``Many people said that the musical was not that successful compared to Webber's other works, such as `Cats' and `The Phantom of the Opera.' But I think it is worthy of putting the show on stage again, because it will touch many hearts. It also has many similarities with Korean history,'' Seol Do-yoon, head of the production company, said.
Seol said that the plot is based on the events surrounding a local football team's attempt to overcome religious intolerance and violence that has engulfed their community. The team is made up of Catholic and Protestant youths and the coach who is also a priest. The musical chronicles the ups and downs of the team players as the emerging political and religious violence overwhelms them. Some of the players become members of the IRA and one gets kneecapped.
Seol said that Ireland and Korea have similar histories and both countries have ``han'' _ a collective feeling of oppression and isolation in the face of overwhelming odds.
``Some may not be able to relate to the story, but if you look deep, many feel a sense of sympathy with the story that is similar to Korea's oppressive and tragic history,'' Seol said.
He added that the show will also offer artistic choregraphy of football games.
The musical will also include the most successful song from the score, "Our Kind of Love.''
The musical will be held at LG Arts Center in southern Seoul from Nov. 16 to Jan. 13. Tickets for the show cost from 30,000 to 100,000 won.
For more information, call (02) 501-7888 or visit www.beautifulgame.co.kr.