`Les Dix Captivates Seoul Again
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
When the French musical spectacle, ``Les Dix Commandements'' was first staged by its original cast in 2006, it sent the Korean audience into a culture shock.
This was not only because of the musical's large-scale extravagant show and rare biblical storyline, but also because it deeply touched the hearts of the audience with a universal theme rather than a religious message.
From its heartwarming musical scores, artistic and grandiose yet modern stage sets to its flamboyant choreography that mixes various dance genres; all these elements were enough to captivate the Korean audience, which were accustomed to the Broadway and West End musical styles.
Now it is back and ready to put on an encore performance with more elaborate stage sets compared to the previous show, which was staged in 2006.
The encore show by the original cast raised its curtain Dec. 24.
The musical is based on the biblical story of Moses ― played by Sergio Moschetto, including his friendship with Ramses ― played by Ahmed Mouici ― and their love triangle with Nefertari
Moses was born to a Hebrew mother who hid him when a Pharaoh ordered all newborn Jewish boys to be killed. He ends up being adopted into the Egyptian royal family and raised alongside Ramses. After killing an Egyptian slave master, he flees and becomes a shepherd, later being commanded by God to deliver the Jewish people from slavery.
After Egypt is hit with ten plagues, he leads them out of slavery, through the Red Sea, and they end up wandering the desert for 40 years.
The musical flows without exchanges of dialogue. Instead, an impressive score leads the audience through the storyline.
The spectacular scenes surpass the limits of theatrical performance, imbuing it with blockbuster movie-like effect.
The musical successfully portrayed the miraculous parting of the Red Sea with visual effects projected onto huge screens on the stage.
The everyday life of Ramses and Moses were presented simultaneously on stage, enabling the story to develop without lagging.
The musical effectively uses colorful lights to portray the disasters caused by the Ten Plagues.
However, the essence of the musical is not in the theaterical gadgets or the technical effects, but the universal theme beyond the religious message. It sends out the message of the human desire for freedom and tolerance.
The theme reaches at its peak during the Red Sea parting scene in which Moses and Ramses both express their sorrows caused by their destiny, which puts them on different paths rather than concluding in the typical good vs. evil plot.
``Les Dix Commandements'' was originally designed to be staged in a gymnasium. The musical requires a vast amount of space to revive the spectacular episodes that portray the Exodus, featuring the scene of Moses parting the Red Sea.
The set is 55 meters wide, 17 meters high and 20 meters deep, and decked with stage props that filled 42 shipping containers.
Launched in 2002 in a French gymnasium, more than two million music and dance lovers went to see the epic in France alone. The sensational hit has carried through with robust sales of CDs, DVDs and videotapes reaching 4.2 million copies in total, thanks to such beloved numbers as ``L'envie D'aimer'' for the finale and ``Mon Frere.''
The musical will continue to run through Jan. 19 at the Atlantic Hall of COEX in southern Seoul. Tickets cost from 40,000 won to 130,000 won. For more, call 1588-4558.