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.
Generating buzz
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In left photo, Lim Jin-woong, auditioning for Svec in the Korean production of the musical “Once,” plays drums, accompanied by the show’s musical supervisor Martin Lowe’s piano in a rehearsal room of D-Cube Arts Center in Seoul earlier this month. / Courtesy of Seensee Company
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Musical journey of ‘Once’ comes to Korea in December
Kang Su-jung plays the accordion during her audition.
Director John Tiffany
By Kwon Mee-yoo
If you walked into the D-Cube Arts Center in Seoul last week, you may have thought you’d walked onto the set of Superstar K or another idol competition show.
Scores of talented musicians were there, performing before evaluators, such as one woman with bobbed-hair playing an accordion as red as her scarf.
But they weren’t playing for a chance to be judged by the likes of Park Jin-young or Simon Cowell. No, they were hoping to be selected to star in the Korean version of the hit Broadway musical “Once.”
“Once” — based on the 2006 film of the same name — is coming to Korea in December. As part of promotional efforts, part of the call-back auditions was opened to the press, providing a glimpse into the making of the Tony Award-winning musical, in which actors play their own instruments.
The musical revolves around a Czech immigrant Girl and an Irish songwriter Guy and the bond they forge through music. The stage show, set in a sparsely-furnished tavern, includes many of the film’s songs, which were written by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. These include the well-known ballad, “Falling Slowly.”
The creators behind the musical, including director John Tiffany, musical supervisor Martin Lowe and associate choreographer Nathaniel Keuter, came to Korea to find the right mix of actors to perform. At the auditions, they were accompanied by Korean resident musical supervisor Kim Mun-jung and resident choreographer Hwang Hyun-jung.
Plenty of top-notch talent was on hand for the audition.
The team evaluated some 50 applicants who had been whittled down from an initial 500. Tiffany and his colleagues were acquainted with the participants and exchanged greetings before the audition.
The aforementioned woman wearing a red scarf, Kang Su-jung, was trying out for the role of Baruska, the female lead’s mother. She stumbled on a line during the acting portion of the tryout but gamely continued on.
Lee Jung-soo, auditioning for Billy, sang a few Korean songs while strumming a guitar. He showed quick wit when Lowe asked him to play another song using G, C and D chords and performed “Old Love” by Korean singer Lee Moon-se.
Chung Sun-gook, a finalist on the talent show “Superstar K1,” offered his own songs to the judges’ delight.
Some showed their skills on multiple instruments, including Jung Wook-jin, who played guitar, piano, electric bass and mandolin. Lim Jin-woong, auditioning for Svec, played drums and mandolin.
Tiffany and Lowe appeared satisfied about the musicianship and expressed optimism for the production, which will be the first non-English version of the show.
“Once is a gift to all of us,” Tiffany said in an interview. Before Once, Tiffany mostly worked on serious, experimental plays with the National Theatre of Scotland. Winning a Tony Award for Best Director with Once made him one of the most highly sought-after directors in the theater world.
“When I was approached by the producers, who had the stage rights to Once, I hadn’t listened to the music or seen even the film. So I downloaded the music and absolutely loved it. I’d never heard music like that in a Broadway musical,” the 42-year-old said.
“And then I saw the film and thought the producers were crazy because it is basically a documentary. Because I had no idea how to turn it into a Broadway musical, I was hooked and said yes.”
Tiffany “excavated” the core of the story and molded it to fit the stage. “This is a story about people who cannot communicate well communicating with music,” he said.
The small-budget musical — which premiered at the New York Theater Workshop in 2011 and moved to Broadway in 2012 — has garnered eight Tony Awards. Currently, the show is on Broadway, touring the United States and in West End.
“The show is still on Broadway, much to my amazement,” Tiffany said. “After meeting these brilliant actors and musicians, I couldn’t be more excited (about the Seoul production).”
Lowe, who has experience in Korean musical theater through his role as musical supervisor of local hit “Mamma Mia!,” said he was overwhelmed by the talent pool here.
“I’ve been hosting auditions in Seoul for some 10 years and I knew Korean actors can sing and dance, but I had no idea there were so many actor/musicians who can act and dance as well,” Lowe said.
Tiffany added that acting in Once is often demanding for actors, but that this would not the case in Seoul.
“There is a scene where (the male lead) is about to set off and has a talk with his father. It is a very strange relationship between them, particularly Irish. But an actor rehearsed that scene yesterday and it was incredibly moving,” he said.
The Korean production of Once will open at CJ Towol Theater of Seoul Arts Center in December. For more information, visit www.iseensee.com.