By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korea Times Intern
Idol stars are expanding their horizons and Andy Lee of boy band Shinhwa is one of them. But fans, even those from abroad, are remaining loyal. About 250 fans from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong gathered at Ja-U Theater, Daehangno in Seoul Sunday afternoon to see the musical ``Music in My Heart'' starring Lee.
Chiang Pei-hsin, 21, from Taiwan came to Korea on a seven-day trip to see the musical. She highly praised the show saying, ``I came to see Andy, but I got much more than just Andy. The show was very interesting and humorous. The songs were beautiful and all the actors were so good.'' Having first seen Lee in the Korean variety show ``X Man,'' Chiang is a big fan of Korean television shows.
Sponsored by Seoul Tourism Marketing Division of Seoul Business Agency, ``Music in My
Heart'' invited Chinese fans to the show and special fan meeting with Lee. Chinese subtitles were provided to help understanding the storyline of the musical. Lee's new single was also first aired to the public at the fan meeting.
The musical is a romantic comedy about a dumb playwright Min-a who writes scripts with her four imaginary friends. Then she meets the handsome and perfect actor-director Jae-hyeok, played by Lee. Premiering in 2005, ``Music in My Heart'' is a hit homegrown musical.
PMC Production, who produced the musical said that in addition to Chinese, many Japanese fans have seen the performance and that Japanese musical companies want to stage ``Music in My Heart'' in Japan. ``This is a universally understandable love story, and combined with Lee's star power, we think ``Music in My Heart'' could be successful in Japan, too.''
The musical is currently playing at Ja-U Theater in Daehangno, northern Seoul. Lee will act only until Dec. 2, but the show has an open run. Visit www.nae-maum.com or call (02) 738-8288 for more information.
After leaving the musical, Lee will release his first solo album and debut as a DJ at Benny
Benassi’s Party on Dec. 29 at Coex InterContinental Hotel. In addition to their individual activities, Shinhwa will reunite in December for concerts in Japan and China and to prepare their ninth album, which is planned for release next March.