Musical 'Blue Rain' reinterprets Dostoyevsky's 'Brothers Karamazov'
Musical “Blue Rain” continues through Sept. 15 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts' S Theater in central Seoul. Courtesy of C101
By Anna J. Park
With minimalistic and urban stage designs using LED lighting, the musical “Blue Rain” is set in the heart of the modern capitalist society in the U.S. However, this outwardly posh-looking musical deals with a much deeper theme on good and evil, crime and punishment, as well as god and free will.
The 110-minute musical is based on Dostoyevsky's final novel “The Brothers Karamazov.” The main plot is similar to the Russian literary masterpiece, although the characters and their stories are, of course, much simplified and modified in the reinterpretation.
The eldest son, Theo, is prodigal and violent, while the second son, Luke, is cold-hearted and has armed himself with reason. Their father, John Lucifer, is a man of greed and immodesty, and found murdered one day. The musical drama unfolds its reel, centering on the subject of patricide.
Actress-turned-writer Choo Jung-hwa, who also directed the musical, said during a press conference last Tuesday that she wanted to tell a story that delves into the internal contradictions and struggles in society and in an individual's mind.
“This is a story about good and evil, and sins,” Choo said. “I deeply pondered on what choices a human can make in this world that seems full of horrendous crimes. I wanted to touch on conflicting issues of money, faith and conscience by posing questions on the existence of god, free will in a capitalist society and the deeper meaning and scope of sins and crimes.”
Musical actor Kim Ju-ho alternates the role of John Lucifer, father of the family, with actor Park Song-kwon dudring the musical. Courtesy of C101
Choo's ideas and script turned into the original version of this musical, which was showcased during the Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) and received an award for the best original musical last July.
After more than a year of readjustments and further refinements, the musical has been on stage at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts' S Theater since earlier this month and will continue through Sept. 15.
While choreographer Kim Byung-jin embodies the continual internal and external struggles among characters and heavy themes in a creative and symbolic arrangement of chairs on stage, music director Huh Soo-hyun said he focused on simplifying the scores.
“Since its plot is grandiose, I tried to make the music not too convoluted, with easier, melodic lines,” Huh said at the press conference. “Diverse genres of music, including pop and rock ballads, funky breaks and semi classics, are all mingled in this musical drama.”
Actor Lee Ju-kwang alternates the role of the eldest son Theo with Lee Chang-hee during the musical. Courtesy of C101
Lee Ju-kwang, who plays the eldest son Theo, alternating with Lee Chang-hee, said the musical requires a lot of energy and deep emotion from the actors.
“Those who read the book or other musicals that were inspired by the original novel would know that it is a very heavy piece, entailing a whirlpool of strong emotions,” Lee said. “I try to pull myself together into a calm state before the show, as if I'm going onto a battlefield.”
Park Yoo-deok and Lim Byung-keun play the second son Luke, while veteran musical actors Kim Ju-ho and Park Song-kwon alternate in the role of John Lucifer. Kim Ryeo-won and Choi Mi-so play Hayden, a girlfriend of Theo's.
Tickets can be reserved through the websites of Interpark and Ticketlink, or at the official website of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts at