Around Town 1
Classical Concerts
‘London Symphony Orchestra'
Seoul Arts Center
Feb. 20
London Symphony Orchestra will have a concert at Seoul Arts Center on Feb. 20.
The London Symphony Orchestra was established in 1904 with a goal to bring "the greatest music to the greatest number of people." It has a strong worldwide reputation, especially in the field of movie soundtracks, as it has performed on countless classic film scores including "Star Wars," "Harry Potter" and "Indiana Jones." This is the orchestra's 10th visit to Korea, and this time it will perform music pieces by Mozart, Turnage, and Mahler.
Tickets cost 70,000 to 330,000 won. For more information, visit sac.or.kr or call (02) 599-5743.
‘Legendary Tenor Jose Carreras Final World Tour ― A Life in Music’
March 4
As part of his final world tour, the legendary tenor Jose Carreras will visit Korea for a concert on March 4 at the Seoul Arts Center.
Carreras became internationally recognized in 1971 by winning the Verdi International Opera Competition. In 1990, he formed the operatic singing group The Three Tenors, along with Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, receiving worldwide acclaim. This tour summarizes his 47-year musical career, as he will perform the songs that he loves and that have special meaning to him.
Tickets cost 60,000 to 280,000 won. For more information, visit sac.or.kr or call 1577-5266.
‘Mendelssohn’s 170th Anniversary Concert’
March 8
Celebrating the 170th anniversary of the death of German composer Mendelssohn, Millennium Symphony Orchestra will have a concert on March 8 at the Seoul Arts Center.
Mendelssohn is among the greatest German Romantic composers in musical history. For this concert, the Millennium Symphony Orchestra will perform some of his most popular works, including Violin Concerto in E minor and Symphony No.4 “Italian.” Violinist Roman Kim will collaborate with the orchestra.
Tickets cost from 20,000 to 90,000 won. For more information, visit sac.or.kr or call (02) 3487-0678.
Big Tickets
‘2017 BTS Live Trilogy Episode III The Wings Tour in Seoul'
Gocheok Sky Dome
Feb. 18 and 19
Bangtan Boys (BTS) will have concerts on Feb. 18 and 19 at Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul.
BTS is a K-pop boy band with seven members. The band debuted in 2013 with their first album "2 Cool 4 Skool." Since then, they have emerged as one of the most popular Korean boy bands in Southeast Asia, China and Japan. In 2016, BTS released their second studio album, "Wings" which was ranked at No. 26 on the Billboard 200 chart and became the best sold K-pop album in the U.S.
These concerts mark the beginning of BTS's 2017 world tour, during which the band will visit various countries including the U.S, Chile, and Brazil.
Tickets cost 99,000 to 110,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call (02) 446-2690.
Pop & Jazz
‘Twice 1st Tour: Twiceland ― The Opening'
SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium
Feb. 17 to 19
K-pop girl group Twice will perform on their own for their first concert series since their debut at SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium on Feb. 17 to 19.
Twice consists of nine members with diverse nationalities, and they are among the most popular K-pop bands in Korea. Since their 2015 debut, they have released many hit songs such as "Like Ooh-Ahh", "Cheer Up" and "TT", and rapidly rose to stardom. Through this concert, they aim to present their talents and skills as one of the top idol groups of Korea.
Tickets cost 99,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call 1544-1555.
Plays & Musicals
‘Phantom'
Blue Square
Until Feb. 26
"Phantom," a musical adaptation of Gaston Leroux's novel "Phantom of the Opera," will be performed at Blue Square Samsung Electronics Hall through Feb. 26.
"Phantom" is about Erik, a mysterious man living in the dark cellar of a Paris opera house. One day he hears someone singing and is enchanted by her heavenly voice. Discovering that the voice was of Christine Daee, he decides to make her the new diva of the Opera Theatre and begins to give her secret lessons every night. With the help of Erik, Christine has her debut, but it is ruined by Carlotta. Erik seeks revenge on her.
Park Hyo-shin, Park Eun-tae and Jeon Dong-suk star as Erik, the Phantom. Kim So-hyun, Kim Soon-young and Lee Ji-hye share the role of Christine Daee, and Jeong Young-ju and Shin Young-sook will alternate for Carlotta.
Tickets cost 60,000 to 140,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call 1577-6478.
‘The Underdog'
Uniplex
A musical featuring the life of abandoned dogs, "The Underdog" will be staged until Feb. 26 at Uniplex.
Jin is an abandoned Jindo dog. One day, he is caught and taken to a dog shelter, where he meets other abandoned dogs, each of whom has their own tragic stories. However, he finds out the horrible truth about the dog shelter, and tries to escape with his new friends.
Actor Kim Joon Hyun and Lee Tae Sung play the main character Jin.
Tickets cost 33,000 to 88,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call 1522-6561.
‘The Bodyguard'
LG Arts Center
Until March 5
A musical adaptation of the movie "The Bodyguard" will be staged at LG Arts Center through March 5.
The musical features numerous popular songs from the original soundtrack of the movie "The Bodyguard," such as "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston. After its premiere in London, 2012, the musical has won extensive recognition in Europe, Australia and the U.S. This is the first time for the musical to be staged in Asia. One of the best musical actors in Korea, Jung Sun-ah, will play the main character, Rachel Marron, and actor Lee Jong-hyuk and Park Sung-woong will play the role of her bodyguard, Frank Farmer.
Tickets cost from 60,000 to 140,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call 1544-1555.
‘Our Friends, the Humans'
French author Bernard Werber's play, "Our Friends, the Humans," will be staged at the Seoul Arts Center through March 5.
Raoul is a timid scientist who works on animal testing, and Samantha is a short-tempered, attractive tiger trainer who loves animals. They find themselves within a glass wall, without knowing where they are, and why they are there. They try to figure out what is happening to them, gradually putting clues together.
Actors Go Myung-hwan, Oh Yong, Park Kwang-hyun, and Jeon Byeong-wook play Raoul, and Ahn Yu-jin, Kim Na-mi, and Stephanie Kim play Samantha.
Tickets cost 34,000 to 49,000 won. For more information, visit sac.or.kr or call 1577-3363.
‘Jekyll and Hyde’
March 8 to May 21
The Broadway cast of the musical “Jekyll and Hyde” will visit Korea as part of their world tour and perform at Blue Square from March 8 to May 21.
A talented doctor and scientist, Henry Jekyll works on separating the human soul from the body. For his experiments, he uses himself as a human guinea pig. As a result, he creates his other self, Hyde, who is full of evil. Hyde gradually takes control of Jekyll, and starts killing people who stood in his way.
Actors Kyle Dean Massey and Bradley Dean play Jekyll.
Tickets cost 50,000 to 150,000 won. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call 1588-5212.
Dance
‘Huang Yi & KUKA'
Cel Stage
Feb. 14 to 18
Taiwanese artist Huang Yi and German industrial robot KUKA will present a unique dance performance at Cel Stage on Feb. 14 to 18.
Huang Yi is not only a globally recognized dancer, but also an inventor and video artist. Inspired by his deprived childhood, in which he restrained himself to be diligent and obedient like a robot, he created this dance performance. In the performance, he collaborates with industrial robot arm, KUKA, and presents beautiful convergence of art and technology.
Admission is free. For more information, visit ticket.interpark.com or call (02) 2651-2515.
Clubs
Club Octagon
Nonhyeon
Near the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon, this club is notable for its stylish interior and elite clientele. The club offers a stage, lounge bar and dining area to satisfy any night out after work or on the weekend. It is near exit 4 of Hakdong Station on subway line 7. For more information, call (02) 516-8847.
Club Globe Lounge
Itaewon
Club Globe Lounge is famous among women looking for a place to throw birthday parties or enjoy a light dinner. From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., it serves as a bar, changing into a club after 10 p.m. Every Thursday, Club Globe Lounge has a Happy Hour buffet for guests. Club Globe Lounge is located near the Hamilton Hotel by exit 2 of Itaewon Station, subway line 6. For more information, call (02) 792-1127.
Club Evans
Hongik University
Club Evans is a live jazz club that has served as a platform for emerging jazz artists for a decade. It operates jazz recording studios and a jazz academy as well, producing albums for many local jazz artists. Club Evans provides jazz concerts and leads music sessions every Monday and Tuesday. Club Evans is located near exit 1 of Sangsu Station, subway line 6. It opens at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit clubevans.com or call (02) 337-8361.
Once in a Blue Moon
Apgujeong
Once in a Blue Moon is one of the best-known and well-established jazz clubs in the city. It features live jazz sets from two different bands every night, usually starting at 7:30 p.m. It is located between the Hakdong Intersection and Galleria Department Store in the posh district of Apgujeong. For more information, visit onceinabluemoon.co.kr or call (02) 549-5490.
Club Answer
Cheongdam
Club Answer, chosen as one of the five hottest clubs in Seoul by CNN, provides a spacious interior and brilliant lighting system with entertaining DJs on stage nightly. Club Answer is in the classy area of Cheongdam, a district known to lead the party culture of Seoul. It is located near exit 13 of Cheongdam Station on subway line 7. For more information, call (02) 514-4311.
Club Double Eight
Sinsa
Opened in 2010, Club Double Eight takes clubbing to its heights. Located in Gangnam, it provides diverse hotel promotions and features weekend lineups with exuberant DJs. It is located near exit 1 of Sinsa Station on Line 3. For more information, call (02) 543-8803.