Lifestyle

Musical 'Beethoven' to hit stage next year

The musical, “Beethoven,” will premiere next year / Courtesy of EMK MusicalBy Dong Sun-hwaA musical about the legendary composer, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), is set to hit the stage next year. Korean musical production company EMK Musical is planning to premiere “Beethoven” in January 2023, at the Seoul Arts Center. It will soon begin an audition to decide on the actors for different roles. Musical “Beethoven” will recount the story of Beethoven ― an unconventional pianist who is known to have valued morality and honor ― and people surrounding him. “Our show will highlight Beethoven's life as a musician and how he gets to find his inner self,” EMK said in a statement, Monday. “We will make use of Beethoven's musical works to depict the different emotions of human beings.” “Beethoven” is the fourth original production by EMK, which previously produced, “Mata Hari,” “The Man Who Laughs” and “Excalibur.”Wang Yong-beom, who was behind the success of hit musicals such as &ldqu

DAILY FORTUNE - MAY 17, 2022

T'way Air to open Incheon-Singapore route this month

A T'way Air aircraft/ Korea Times fileT'way Air said Monday it will open an Incheon-Singapore route later this month, becoming the first Korean low-cost carrier to offer flights to the Southeast Asian country.T'way will use an A330-300 on the route and provide two flights a week beginning May 28, the company said in a statement. Inbound passengers are exempt from COVID-19 tests when they enter Singapore. And those who are fully vaccinated, as well as unvaccinated children under age 12, can travel to the country without a quarantine period, it said. T'way Air has suspended most of its international routes since March 2020, after countries strengthened entry restrictions over the pandemic.For the whole of 2021, its net losses deepened to 156.2 billion won ($122 million) from 137.8 billion won. Sales fell to 214.4 billion won last year from 269.2 billion won the previous year. T'way Air plans to operate 20 large planes, as well as 30 midsized and small ones, by 2027 to achieve 3 trillion won in sales. To prepare for post-pandemic demand, the carrier will bring in an average of four larg

Antony Gormley, Chun Kyung-ja to be highlighted at this month's auction

Chun Kyung-ja's “Woman” (1990) / Courtesy of K AuctionBy Park Han-solA major art sale hosted by K Auction at the end of this month will bring in masterpieces of Korean female modernists and international titans, including Chun Kyung-ja and Antony Gormley, the auction house said Friday.The auction, scheduled to be held at K Auction's Gangnam headquarters in southern Seoul on May 25, will feature a total of 115 works of art.Chun, one of the few iconic female painters who blazed the trail for Korea's modern art history, is known for incorporating vivid, fantastical colors in her portraits of women that hide a sense of loneliness.Up for auction is “Woman” (1990), which is believed to have been painted by the artist as she thought of her eldest daughter. The piece is expected to fetch around 600 million won to 900 million won ($467,300 to $700,000).Other works to be featured include those of another leading female artist Rhee Seund-ja, as well as Chang Uc-chin, Yun Hyong-keun and Kim Tschang-yeul.Antony Gormley's “MEME: CXXXVIII” (2011) / Courtesy of K

Eva Armisen's newest retrospective continues to celebrate 'trivia' of everyday life

Eva Armisen's “Amor (Love)” (2021) / Courtesy of the artist, DcommunicationBy Park Han-solSpanish artist Eva Armisen has made another triumphant return to Korea, the country that has described her as an “artist who paints happiness,” for a brand-new retrospective. Her works, as always, show that it is not dramatic spectacle, but rather the emotional “trivia” of everyday life that give people a renewed sense of hope and healing.“Eva Armisen, Andando” at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan District, Seoul, brings together more than 200 of the creator's latest paintings, ceramics, installations, drawings and animations ― making this her largest retrospective to date, crowded with pieces that are being unveiled to the world for the first time. “Andando,” meaning “going” in Spanish, visualizes Armisen's decades-long creative journey of cherished memories and emotions as she revels in themes of love, family, nature, togetherness and inspiration.Spanish painter Eva Armisen poses in front of “Florecer (In Bloom)&r

Kim Seon-ho to play male lead in 'Touching the Void' this July

Actor Kim Seon-ho / Captured from Instagram By Kwak Yeon-sooActor Kim Seon-ho will return to the stage with the play, “Touching the Void” in July. The actor's agency Salt Entertainment confirmed that Kim has been cast as Joe Simpson in “Touching the Void,” based on the 1988 mountaineering memoir of the same title. The play is about the mental battle Simpson faces when fighting for survival in the Andes in 1985. The docudrama immerses the audience in Joe's frightening experience as he makes life-and-death decisions.A film of the same name was released in 2003 and a play premiered in the United Kingdom in 2018.Kim has removed himself from the spotlight since October last year, when he was accused of coercing his ex-girlfriend into having an abortion. Kim was removed from his leading role in films such as “Dog Days” and “Date at 2 O' Clock,” but later his acquaintances sided with him to provide evidence to prove the allegations were untrue. Kim debuted as a theater ac

Award-winning play explores family longing, aims to go global

A scene from the play, “The Return” / Courtesy of Seoul Arts CenterBy Kwak Yeon-sooActor Kim Soo-ro has returned as the producer of a play titled “The Return,” which whirls the audience into stories of reuniting families that were once separated for different reasons.In a career that spans stage, television and film, the actor has been at the forefront of bringing theater closer to the public.“While musicals continue to break records, traditional plays are struggling. We've been performing this play on Daehangno's (Korea's mecca of performing arts and culture) small stages for six to seven years. I'm overwhelmed that we're finally performing in a large theater equipped with 1,000 seats,” Kim said during the press conference for the play, Thursday. “The Return” revolves around a tavern that welcomes people who miss their loved ones, including a mother who misses her son who is off to the army, a husband who awaits the return of his runaway wife and a foul-mouthed elderly woman who has lost contact with her son. The play, which premiered

DAILY FORTUNE - MAY 16, 2022

More festivals, live concerts to take place at home, abroad

The Korea Festival is scheduled to take place at the Deutsche Bank Park Stadium in Frankfurt, Germany, May 14 and 15 (local time.) Courtesy of Korea Tourism OrganizationBy Dong Sun-hwaAs the world seeks a transition from pandemic to endemic, a series of festivals and live concerts are set to take place offline in Korea and beyond to entertain pandemic-weary people. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Frankfurt, Germany, are planning to hold the Korea Festival at the Deutsche Bank Park Stadium in Frankfurt, May 14 and 15 (local time). It will be the largest Korean cultural festival to take place in Europe since the COVID-19 outbreak began, and is expected to draw some 80,000 people. The event will be held in conjunction with “KPOP.FLEX,” a K-pop concert featuring some of the most celebrated K-pop acts like Exo's Kai, Mamamoo, NCT Dream, (G)I-DLE, Monsta X and IVE. Local broadcaster SBS will organize the concert in cooperation with its partners including PK Events based in Germany.Kai of K-pop boy group EXO / Courtesy o

Gov't to significantly increase international flights to meet travel demand

Domestic airplanes are parked on the tarmac at Incheon International Airport, in this April 5 file photo. YonhapThe government will add an additional 230 international flight routes by next month to meet growing demand for travel in the wake of its easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said Friday. The addition will raise the number of weekly international flights from 532 in May to 762 in June.Starting May 23, the government will also recognize negative rapid antigen test results for travelers boarding flights to South Korea, on top of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results currently being accepted, the minister said.From June, international arrivals will also be required to undergo a PCR test within three days of their entry into South Korea. The mandatory test is currently required on the day of arrival.Oral COVID-19 medications enough to treat 1 million patients will be additionally brought in, while the age limit for taking such medications will be further reduced to include children aged 12 and those with underlying health problems. Currently, pe