Rachel Chavkin directs new chapter for ‘Lempicka’ in Korea

A scene from the Broadway musical “Lempicka” / Courtesy of Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Tamara de Lempicka (1894-1980) was a Polish artist whose work defined the daring spirit of the “new woman.” Her “Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti)” (1929) shows the artist behind the wheel of a green sports car, her gloves and scarf matching the era’s fascination with speed, glamour and control.

Nearly a century later, de Lempicka’s spirit forms the heart of the Broadway musical “Lempicka,” which arrives in Seoul this spring in a Korean-language production led by original director Rachel Chavkin.

“No, she never owned a green Bugatti, but it’s her with her scarf flying in the wind,” Chavkin said at a studio in Gangdong Arts Center in Seoul on Friday, a day after arriving for rehearsals.

“Tamara is probably best known as giving a face, an image, a style and an expression to this idea of the new liberated woman who works, goes after what she wants and has sex with who she wants.”

Rachel Chavkin, director of the musical "Lempicka," poses in front of the show's poster in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of NOL Universe

New chapter in Seoul

The musical tells the unapologetic story of de Lempicka, a bisexual painter who fled the Russian Revolution and reinvented herself in Paris, navigating political upheaval and a series of charged relationships, including her storied affair with muse Rafaela.

The Seoul run is the show’s first staging since its short Broadway life in 2024. For Chavkin, best known as the Tony-winning director of “Hadestown,” the visit marks the opening of musical’s next chapter. Recalling when producer NOL Universe proposed mounting the show, Chavkin said Korea “chose itself” as the next destination for “Lempicka.”

“I’m so excited about ‘Lempicka,’ the show that I love and believe so deeply, having this new life that begins here in Asia with this production. I always think the second production of a show is in some ways even more important, because it’s when the show begins to become really part of the canon.”

She sees “Lempicka” as a show that pushes female characters to the front with a scale and intensity rarely seen on musical stages. The Korean production continues this focus, with Kim Sun-young, Park Hye-na and Jeong Sun-ah sharing the title role, while Cha Ji-yeon, Lina and Son Seung-yeon alternate as Rafaela.

Chavkin said that kind of casting reflects both the demands of the role and the hunger among top performers for work that allows women to occupy the center.

“I am very aware of the fact that we have some true stars in this show and I think it’s a testament to the fact that roles for women like this don’t come around that often. I’m so thrilled that artists of this caliber will get to shine in this work.”

The Korean cast of "Lempicka" / Courtesy of NOL Universe

Art, history and defiance

While audiences need not know de Lempicka’s biography to enjoy the show, familiarity with her art can deepen the experience since her visual language is embedded throughout the staging.

“Every audience member will absolutely experience a lot of Tamara’s actual work. And then there is a ton of moments of staging that allude to (her art), certainly in the scene ‘Women,’ which takes place in Suzy Solidor’s nightclub,” she explained. “There’s constant moments where actors stand with the body in certain angles and the ensemble’s choreography is totally influenced by Tamara’s angular and asymmetric works. All of that is in the show itself.”

Just as de Lempicka’s art challenged conventions, so does the plot at the center of the show: a love triangle and a marriage tested by war, exile and a desire for freedom — a dynamic rarely found on major stages in Korea.

“‘Lempicka’ has incredibly mature, nuanced character development, the story of the marriage and the two relationships at its heart. This love triangle is so real, honest, full in a way that musicals often are not,” Chavkin said.

Rachel Chavkin, director of musical "Lempicka," speaks during a rehearsal for the show's Korean production in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of NOL Universe

Chavkin drew parallels between de Lempicka’s turbulent times and today’s political climate, pointing out how cycles of upheaval continue to shape both art and life.

“Trump and his administration would like to pretend that history is simple and clear and they don’t want to dwell on bad things such as slavery, the theft of land from Native Americans, all of these complexities and horrors that are part of the past and that impact the present. And so simply working on a show like ‘Lempicka,’ which acknowledges the harm that we do to each other and that historically has happened and that asks audiences to be with us in that complexity — that already feels like a fight for the type of world that I want to live in.”

Chavkin described herself as someone who prefers that “mess and chaos” be visible, shaping how people interact and share space, both in society and on stage.

“I hope you feel how dynamic and messy the emotions are,” she said, contrasting them with “a perfect future that is really devoid of humanity.”

A scene from the Broadway musical "Lempicka" / Courtesy of Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Challenging convention

The show’s Broadway run ended quickly, but Chavkin does not shy away from the possible reasons for its mixed reception.

“There are so many artworks that when they first come out, people don’t necessarily know how to receive them. And over time, as people begin to understand what that thing was aiming towards, then they start to understand how to watch,” she noted.

“(‘Lempicka’) centers on a woman. There are a number of great male characters, but none of them are centered, either as the hero or as the antagonist. There is not really an antagonist for Tamara, other than time and the limits of her own appetite. I think, a lot of male reviewers — and some female reviewers as well — weren’t able to see her story, because we’re so used to seeing men have to function in a particular way in a woman’s story. ... That’s how deep the misogyny is in our narrative experience.”

Now, as “Lempicka” takes the stage in Seoul, the production will once again ask audiences whether they are ready to embrace a story that puts a woman’s ambition, vision and self-invention at the very heart of the stage.

The Korean production of “Lempicka” will be staged at NOL Theater COEX Woori Bank Hall in southern Seoul from March 21 to June 21.