By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Two heartthrobs of the French musical ``Romeo et Juliette''― Damien Sargue and Cyril Niccolai ― will meet Korean fans here on Jan. 4.
The fan meeting will be held at Athens Hall of Olympic Parktel in southern Seoul before giving a musical gala concert, Jan. 11-13.
During the fan meeting, they will introduce the upcoming concert and answer questions from their fans.
After the fan meeting, the French musical stars will continue final concert rehearsals starting from Jan. 7.
They will appear on major TV music shows to promote their concert. The two actors will sing not only musical favorites but also songs from their solo albums. Joy Esther who took the role of Juliette will grace the stage as a guest actress.
Sargue played Romeo in the musical, which was staged in Seoul early this year, while Niccolai took the role of Benvolio, cousin and friend of Romeo. Sargue, who plays Romeo, is the only member who has remained with the troupe since its first incarnation in 2001.
Sargue has become a big star in Korea as well as in France. After the musical was put on stage in Korea, his popularity surged among Korean musical buffs.
``Romeo et Juliette,'' one of the three big French musicals, along with ``Notre Dame de Paris'' and ``Les Dix Commandments,'' directed by producer Gerard Presgurvic and director and choreographer Redha, has fueled the boom of more French musical ``fanatics.''
The show has lead to sales of seven million copies of CDs and DVDs worldwide. The musical has 36 songs including hit numbers ``Aimer'' and ``Les Rois du Monde.''
``Romeo et Juliette'' has had sold-out performances in France since its premier in 2001. The musical also drew an audience of four million from 16 countries.
French musicals have attracted audiences with their unique qualities. They separate performances into dancing and singing. In the French shows, the chorus usually dances as a group, combining dancing with acrobatics and modern dance. The actors usually sing the musical scores, which has less dialogue and more songs that resemble chansons (traditional songs with French lyrics) and sound exotic and romantic.
The characteristics differentiate the French shows from other musicals from Broadway to the West End in which actors generally do both singing and dancing
French musicals also feature more dynamic music from musicians who work in various genres. Broadway and West End musicals use live orchestras.
French musicals target smaller and younger audiences than other musicals, which aim for a larger general audience.
Such characteristics are a welcome change for Korean musical buffs accustomed to Broadway and West End style musicals.
The gala concert will be held at KBS Hall in Yeoido, Seoul on Jan. 11-13. For more information, call (02) 417-7746.