Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
Crime, lies and desire in 'Chicago'
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Choi Jung-won, left, plays Velma Kelly in the current Korean production of “Chicago” opposite Lee Honey, as Roxie Hart, at the Haeoreum Theater of the National Theater of Korea in Seoul. / Courtesy of Seensee Company
By Kwon Mee-yoo
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The latest staging of "Chicago,’’ the musical about imprisoned showgirls Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart milking their infamy to extend their limelight exposure, comes at a time when the Korean media has been enjoying a full-blown buffet on celebrity crime.
Cha No-ah, a 24-year-old professional video game player and more famously the son of actor Cha Seung-won, is facing accusations of kidnapping and raping a 19-year-old woman. He has denied the charges, according to police, but his father issued an apology for ``causing concern’’ anyway.
Earlier this year, Park Si-hoo, another actor, was investigated on suspicions that he raped a trainee actress, although the woman eventually dropped the charges.
This is not to compare these men against the make-believe stories of Kelly and Hart, who combined to murder three people in a rage of jealously and desperation. However, there is some authenticity in how the musical portrays the way the media outlets develop these incidents into national spectacles, just the way they are doing now with Cha.
Chicago, currently staged at the Haeoreum Theater of the National Theater of Korea in Mt. Nam, is set in a county jail where Velma, who murdered both her husband and sister after finding them together in bed, is treated like the star she was in the outside world. Then she is forced to share the attention with Roxie, who murdered her lover Fred, and has showbiz lawyer Billy Flynn intrigued.
As with any Chicago showing, the black, sexy costumes and slick choreography clearly stand out at first sight. However, the actors have managed to put up a convincing satire on the corruption of justice and the hypocrisy of the media.
Considering that this is a 1975 musical set in the 1920s, Chicago was much ahead of its time. The premiere of the show lasted for just three years, but the 1996 revival holds the record as the third longest-running show in Broadway history with over 6,900 performances.
Chicago has been enjoying popularity in Korea since premiering in 2000, boosted by the success of the 2002 movie adaption directed by Rob Marshall and starring Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
The Korean Chicago is closer to the Broadway original than the movie. The stage and costumes manage to be both striking and minimalistic, highlighting John Kander and Fred Ebb’s vaudeville-style music and Ann Reinking's choreography.
Another characteristic of the show is that a 14-member band sits on a bandstand on the stage and the conductor ― Kolleen Park, who was shot to stardom after appearing in television variety show ``Qualifications of Men’’ ― occasionally talks to the cast.
Lee Honey, a beauty queen-turned-actress who played the roles of Elle Woods in the musical version of "Legally Blonde’’ in 2009, is brilliant in the role of Roxie. Oh Jin-young alternates the role with Lee, while Kelly is performed by veterans Insooni and Choi Jung-won.
Chicago runs through Aug. 31. Tickets cost from 40,000 to 120,000 won. For more information, visit www.iseensee.com or call (02) 577-1987.