Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
COVID-cancelled French musical 'Notre Dame de Paris' hits Korean theaters
A scene from the French original musical, “Notre Dame de Paris,” during a press conference at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Thursday. Courtesy of Mast Entertainment
By Park Ji-won
By Park Ji-won
The poster for the French original musical, “Notre Dame de Paris” / Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
The original French production of the musical, “Notre Dame de Paris,” based on the novel with the same title by Victor Hugo and one of the most popular original foreign productions in Korea, will be performed with its 1998 original cast and new casts in three different locations in Korea, running until Jan. 16 of next year.
The musical, composed by Riccardo Cocciante, written by Luc Plamondon, choreographed by Martino Muller and directed by Gille Maheu, as its original creators, is set in the 15th century and revolves around Quasimodo and his love for the beautiful Esmeralda. It is especially known for having beautiful songs such as “Vivre,” “Le Temps des Cathedrales,” “Belle,” and more.
The legendary musical, which premiered in France in 1998 and came to Korea in 2005, has been translated into nine languages and has attracted more than 15 million audience members in 23 countries, according to the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, its venue in Seoul. In Korea, the French original show was performed more than 1,000 times and led to the popularity of Europe-original shows in Korea.
A scene from the French original musical, “Notre Dame de Paris,” during a press conference at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Thursday. Courtesy of Mast Entertainment
What may appeal to audiences is that its cast members include Daniel Lavoie, the original cast member of the 1998 French premiere production, playing Archdeacon Frollo; Angelo del Vecchio as Quasimodo; Elhaida Dani as Esmeralda; Richard Charest, who has been performing the role in Korea since 2005, as Gringoire, and new cast members, such as Emma Lepine, as Fleur de Lys.
The musical, “Notre Dame de Paris,” returned to the stage here in 2020 after having finished its previous run in 2016, but its run was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The cast members showed their excitement to be performing in Korea, which is one of their favorite countries to perform in.
“I am happy to come back to Korea,” Daniel Lavoie said during a press conference held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, adding that it is difficult but rewarding to perform as a villain who also has a complex and humane side. Originally performing the role in the musical's first run between 1998 and 2000, he rejoined for the 2018 production.
The cast of the French original musical, “Notre Dame de Paris,” pose after a press conference at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Thursday. Courtesy of Mast Entertainment
Richard Charest said that Korea played a big role in the international success of the work, with its fans' love and loyal support.
“Korean audiences are very passionate and always support us and the crews and artists are always moved by them. The affection of Korean fans played the biggest role in the international success of the musical, 'Notre Dame de Paris.' We perform in various places in the world, but we are happy to come to Korea in particular because for some, who came to Korea in the past, they find joys from finding new things and for some, who came to Korea for the first time, they find it happy to discover fans' love. It is one of our favorite countries to perform in,” said Richard Charest.
When asked what has changed in the show, director Nicolas Talar said, “The creators of its performance wanted to make this piece so that it can live and be loved forever as a timeless work. The costumes were slightly changed in 2016. The biggest changes are the expressions of roles by different interpretations depending on actors.”
He added that despite the fact that audiences' ways of consuming content have changed as a result of the pandemic, he believed that there is still demand for traditional in-theater performances and their role of moving audiences. “I believe that audiences still want to see offline shows and will visit theaters so that they can be moved and get energy from there and that cannot be achieved from the screen. As a director, what I can do is to provide a touching moment to audiences from the stage.”
The musical will be performed at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts from Nov. 17 to Dec. 5; at Keimyung Art Center in Daegu from Dec. 10 to Dec. 26 and at Sohyang Theater Shinhancard Hall from Dec. 30 to Jan. 16.