When lies summon ancient tribe: Musical ‘The Tribe’ explores joy of being oneself

A scene from Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theater's original musical "The Tribe" at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul / Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

The Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theater is bringing back its original musical “The Tribe” with a significantly scaled-up second edition that sharpens its focus on “being true to yourself” and the power of solidarity.

The show, which premiered in 2024 at the Sejong Center of the Performing Arts’ S Theater to strong word-of-mouth and solid ticket sales, now returns through June 27 with expanded choreography, music and character arcs that push the central questions of identity and honesty to the fore.

The work began as a graduation project by Jeon Dong-min at the Korea National University of Arts before being developed into a full staging last year when it charmed audiences with its playful premise: Whenever someone lies, an ancient tribe appears and dances, exposing hidden truths.

In the musical, that setup drives the story of Joseph and Chloe, characters who have long tried to match themselves to the roles that society expects. When they accidentally break an ancient mask on display in a museum, they trigger a strange phenomenon in which the tribe appears each time they lie, dancing and forcing them to confront the gap between their facades and their real selves.

Poster for Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theater's "The Tribe" at Sejong Center of the Performing Arts / Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

At a press conference at the Sejong Arts Center on Thursday, the creative team introduced the revival as “almost like a new production” rather than a simple rerun, scaled up with a stronger performance, message and diversity.

To match the larger venue, the creators substantially rewrote the characters and strengthened choreography and music.

“The weight of choreography has increased tremendously,” choreographer Chae Hyun-won said, noting that “except for maybe one or two numbers, every scene has a choreography,” with the tribe filling the stage in a near-constant flow of movement.

Composer Lim Na-rae also expanded the sound, growing the live band from a five-piece into an eight-piece ensemble and amplifying the impact of drums and percussion. While the premiere leaned on African folk rhythms and acoustic textures, the revised score incorporates more electronic elements to match the heightened drama and larger space.

Director Pyo Sang-a, who joined for the musical’s return, distilled its central theme into a single keyword: “being myself.”

One of the key narrative turns is Joseph’s realization that he is gay, which the creators frame not as a sensational twist but as one of the many pathways through which the show broadens the spectrum of the diversity it portrays.

Pyo noted that, while the premiere treated Joseph as a character afraid to reveal himself “for fear of looking strange in heterosexual eyes,” the new version depicts “a journey toward ‘being myself’ that everyone can relate to,” making it “not a story about queer people alone, but a story for everyone that includes them.”

The creative team of "The Tribe" poses at the Sejong Center in this provided photo. From left are playwright Jeon Dong-min; artistic director Kim Duk-hee, compose Lim Na-rae; director Pyo Sang-a and choreographer Chae Hyun-won. Courtesy of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

In that context, the “tribe” in the title symbolizes an inner voice that pushes people toward self-awareness and courage, as well as the collective support one needs in order to grow. Playwright Jeon Dong-min added that the tribe also embodies the idea that “a sense of solidarity is essential for personal realization and change.”

The creative team consulted with an LGBTQ rights center to ensure the portrayal would not alienate those it seeks to represent.

Artistic director Kim Duk-hee admitted there were concerns about how older and more conservative audience members might respond, especially within a public theater context.

“Because this is art, we might be able to handle these subjects more fluidly. Encountering them through performance can widen the scope of understanding,” he said. “I hope audiences will receive it in that artistic spirit.”

Masks, which set the story in motion, serve as a key visual and thematic motif. “We all live wearing masks, and in a way, we do that because it feels safer and more comfortable,” Kim explained. “Masks protect us, but they also trap us. Taking them off is what brings a sense of liberation. In that sense, the mask is a very important and symbolically fitting object in this piece.”

“The Tribe” runs through June 27 at Sejong Arts Center’s M Theater.