Lifestyle - The Korea Times

CJ EandM brings curtain down on Chinese version of ’Mamma Mia’

HONG KONG (Yonhap) -- Korea's CJ E&M Corp. said Wednesday its Chinese joint venture has brought the curtain down on the Chinese version of the global hit musical "Mamma Mia!" after successfully running for the last six months in China. United Asia Live Entertainment Co., a joint venture established among CJ E&M, China Arts and Entertainment Group, and Shanghai Media Group, staged the Chinese version of "Mamma Mia!" in the six Chinese cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing and Xian, starting in July. The final show of the Chinese version of "Mama Mia!" was performed Thursday in Shanghai after 200 hundred performances during the six-month run, attracting a total of 250,000 theatergoers. The show has posted 20 billion won (US$17.8 million) in sales and 3 billion won in net profit. CJ E&M officials attributed the success to the well-executed localization by the Chinese staff both on stage and backstage, enhancing the show's appeal to the local market. The show's success was also attributable to the rise of the middle class amid China's robust economic gr

Jan 26, 2012

Stuttgart, Mariinsky, to dazzle ballet fans

Companies’ Korean stars to dance lead roles By Do Je-hae Some of the world’s leading ballet companies will be in Korea this year, featuring their star Korean dancers in lead roles. A number of female dancers are currently ranked soloist or principal at prestigious ballet troupes in Europe and in North America. The most experienced among them is Kang Sue-jin, long-time principal with the Stuttgart Ballet in Germany. Her return to the local stage this summer is arousing much anticipation. Housed at the Opera House in Stuttgart, the Stuttgart Ballet has been at the forefront of international dance for more than 50 years. Kang is now one of eight female principals at the major European company, particularly renowned for the legacy of the late choreographer John Cranko (1927-1973). Stuttgart Ballet Kang Sue-jin will be performing in “The Lady of Camellias” from June 15 to 17 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. “As one of the world’s most respected dancers of dramatic ballets, Kang has been known for her unique interpretation of the tragic

Jan 25, 2012By Do Je-hae

Nomadic artists explore world

By Kwon Mee-yoo Young artists are presenting works based on their borderless, nomadic experiences at group exhibition “As Small as a World and Large as Alone” at Gallery Hyundai Gangnam Space through Feb. 12. The team of Kim Na-young and Gregory Maass, stylized as Nayoungim & Gregory S. Maass along with Shin Mee-kyoung, Je Baak, Kang Eem-yun and Kim Min-ae have something in common. Their works are fueled by experience such as travel and migration. They are from Korea, except for Maass but mainly work in Europe and the United States. Instead of being bound to their home culture, they take objectified looks at everyday life and turn it into art. Kim is from Korea while Maass is from Germany and they communicate in French since they met in France when they were studying at L’Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. They have been working together since 2004. The duo is showing three series of artworks for this exhibition. “Relationships do not exist” is displayed on two long pedestals; “What Happened to My Sculpture?” is hung at eye level, while the “Super Comput

Jan 24, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Ways to enjoy Seollal with family

By Kwon Mee-yoo and Noh Hyun-gi “Seollal,” or Lunar New Year’s Day, is one of the biggest holidays in Korea where families gather together and some perform “charye,” an ancestral worship ritual. The representative food for Seollal is rice cake soup called “tteokguk.” According to tradition, you can only become older when you eat this. Four ancient palaces in Seoul ― Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Changgyeong and Deoksu ― and the Jongmyo royal shrine will be open for free on Lunar New Year’s Day which falls on Monday this year. Those wearing traditional Korean costume “hanbok” will also be admitted free on Sunday and Tuesday. Visitors to the palaces and shrine can receive "Dragon and Cloud" paintings on a first-come first-serve basis from Monday at 2 p.m. Several buildings in the palaces will be open to the public. The National Folk Museum, located in Gyeongbok Palace, is full of events to boost the traditional holiday mood. Families can have their New Year's fortune told and participate in folk games such as "yutnori," a board game using sticks, and "jegichagi," a Korean shuttle

Jan 20, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Clubs

Clubs Underlounge Seoul Hongdae or Hongik University Area This is the local club of a hip Japanese chain that also has a branch in Shanghai, located in the famous clubbing area Hongdae. Located near the main entrance of Hongik University. Call (02) 325-5715 or visit www.underlounge.kr. Club Volume Itaewon Located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station, Club Volume offers the finest venue for specially themed weekly events. Club Volume was listed by TIME magazine among the “10 things to do in 24 hours in Seoul.” Call 1544-2635 for more information. Le Nuit Blanche Cheongdam-dong Formerly Club Answer, Le Nuit Blanche is a posh restaurant, theater and club. Located in front of the Hotel Prima in Cheongdam-dong, Le Nuit Blanche offers Cirque du Soleil-type performances. World-class DJs from all over the world perform at the club. Please call (02) 514-4311 for more information. Cafe Mou Sinsa-dong This cafe has a rich ethnic interior that mixes inspirations from such places as Morocco and France. Its menu is limited, but features desserts. I

Jan 19, 2012By Do Je-hae

Classical concerts

Classical Concerts Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Seoul Arts Center* Feb. 21-22 The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) will perform on Feb. 21-22 under the baton of renowned Korean conductor Chung Myung-whun at Seoul Arts Center. The Korean maestro will be leading a program of Kodaly’s “Dances of Galanta,” Mendelssohn’s violin concerto and “Concerto for Orchestra” by Bartok. This will be followed by another concert on Feb. 22 with a program of the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 with London-based pianist Kim Sun-wook and the Brahms Symphony No. 2. Tickets cost 70,000 to 400,000 won. Call 1577-5266. Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra & Thomaner Choir Seoul Arts Center* Feb. 23 The Gewandhaus Orchestra and Thomaner Choir will visit Korea for the third time to perform Bach’s “St. Matthew’s Passion.” The choir members are composed of students aged 8 to 18 and the choir is over 800 years old. The orchestra will be conducted by Georg Christoph Biller. Tickets cost 30,000 to 180,000 won. For more information, call (02) 599-5743. London Symphony Orchestra Seoul Arts

Jan 19, 2012By Do Je-hae

Musical Heaven named for diversity, credibility

By Kwon Mee-yoo Musical Heaven is a production company in Korea that has staged musicals such as “Menopause,” “Thrill Me,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” and “Spring Awakening.” Currently, its production’s of “Thrill Me” and Broadway-hit “Next to Normal”are ongoing. These feature such non-mainstream themes as menopause of middle-aged women, grotesque murder and power games between a homosexual couple, unlike other hit romantic musicals that boast majestic stage settings. However, Musical Heaven has amassed trusting fans who have confidence in the choice and quality of the company. Its president and producer, Park Yong-ho, is the person who makes decisions, receives investment and selects creative staff to work on the shows. Park, 44, majored in vocal music at Seoul National University. Instead of becoming an onstage singer, he chose another path. “It is not that I lost interest in music but I found myself more suited to art management and business,” Park said in an interview with The Korea Times. Like many leading producers in Korea, he once worke

Jan 18, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Cho joins ‘Doctor Zhivago’

By Kwon Mee-yoo Top actor Cho Seung-woo will join the new musical “Doctor Zhivago” as a male lead. Initially, model-turned-actor Ju Ji-hun was cast for the role of Russian doctor Yuri Zhivago whose life is shaken by the Russian Revolution and Civil War in the early 20th century. However, he quit the position due to problems with his vocal chords, forcing OD Musical Company, the production firm, to look for a replacement two weeks before the opening. "People might see me as a relief pitcher or replacement, but for now Yuri Zhivago is my role," Cho said at a press conference. Cho just finished his latest show "Zorro" Sunday and leaked his appearance in Doctor Zhivago at the curtain call for his last performance, hinting that he would "bring Russia to Jamsil," where the theater is located. The surprise choice was put down to the friendship between Cho and Shin Chun-soo, producer and CEO of OD Musical Company. The company has staged many hit musicals including “Jekyll and Hyde,” which Cho starred in "The production was facing difficulties as Ju withdrew from the show.

Jan 17, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Mina Cheon treats politics like lollipops

By Kwon Mee-yoo An enlarged DIY action figure of U.S. president Barack Obama rotates in the middle of the exhibition hall and dances to the “Hooked on a Feeling” ooga chaka refrain featured in the hit Fox-TV series “Ally McBeal” in a video installation titled “Obama Dancing.” This is “The “Obama Room,” a part of Korean-American artist Mina Cheon’s exhibition “Polipop” at Sungkok Art Museum in Seoul. Cheon takes politics into the witty world of pop art and named her work “Polipop.” “I am interested in all kinds of media. When I wake up in the morning, I read all the headlines and even tabloids. Those are sources for my work,” the artist said. “Politics has become a source of conversation for everyone. I don’t think we should avoid talking about politics and my work interprets politics through the language of pop art.” “The Obama Room” is on the first floor of the art museum. The hall is colored yellow, symbolizing sensitive issues around the U.S. president such as race, human rights, war and terrorism. Cheon poses with Obama in “Yes, We Can! Obama & Me,” a parody

Jan 16, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Musical portray modern family woes

By Kwon Mee-yoo The rock musical “Next to Normal” brings the story of a perfect-looking middle class family to the stage. Dan (played by Nam Kyung-joo and Lee Jung-yeol) is an architect and devoted father with two children — his handsome and mischievous 18-year-old son Gabe (Han Ji-sang and Choi Jae-rim) and sweet, overachieving daughter Natalie (Oh So-yeon). However, their day goes wrong as the mother Diana tries to make too many sandwiches by spreading the ingredients on the table, a chair and even the floor. She has been suffering from manic-depression with hallucinations for 16 years, casting a shadow over the whole family. A crack has been developing for years. Dan is exhausted and Natalie becomes rebellious, suffering from a lack of motherly love. In this production, Kolleen Park and Kim Ji-hyun alternate in portraying the fragile character. Park is famed music director of “Rent” in Korea who also led the chorus on hit KBS show “Qualifications of a Man.” Kim is a veteran actress who was once a member of Japanese theater company Shiki and played Velma Kelly i

Jan 15, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater