From 'Let Me Fly' to 'Les Miserables,' acclaimed musicals to hit stage this year

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

Wed, November 29, 2023 | 17:37

Theater & Others

From 'Let Me Fly' to 'Les Miserables,' acclaimed musicals to hit stage this year

Posted : 2023-07-13 14:48

Updated : 2023-07-16 11:01

The cast members for the upcoming musical, "Let Me Fly" / Courtesy of Pro's LAB

By Dong Sun-hwa

A wide variety of musicals will be presented in Korea this year, including "Let Me Fly" that marks the musical debut of high-profile actor Park Bo-gum.

Set in 1969, "Let Me Fly" follows a young man named Namwon, who suddenly turns into a 70-year-old man. The theatrical show, which took home three trophies at the Korea Musical Awards (KMA) in January, zooms in on different events that take place as he struggles to go back in time.

Park will play the younger version of Namwon, alternating his role with actors Ahn Ji-hwan and Shin Jae-beom.

"Park, who has demonstrated his acting skills and musical prowess through various activities, will further broaden his acting spectrum with 'Let Me Fly,'" the musical's production company, Pro's LAB, said.

"Let Me Fly" will run from Sept. 26 to Dec. 10 at the YES24 Stage in Jongno District, central Seoul.

The musical "Les Miserables," which is based on Victor Hugo's 1862 novel of the same name, will also start its third run on Oct. 15 at the Dream Theatre in the southern port city of Busan.

The poster for the upcoming musical, "Les Miserables" / Courtesy of Les Miserables Korea

Known for its beautiful numbers like, "I Dreamed a Dream," "Les Miserables" revolves around Jean Valjean, who serves a 19-year prison term for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister's child. The musical also illuminates the tragic life of French peasants during the 19th century.

"Les Miserables" is the longest-running musical in the West End that has attracted more than 100 million theatergoers worldwide to date. It premiered here in 2012 and won five awards at The Musical Awards and four trophies at the Korea Musical Awards in 2013.

Its production company revealed that some 3,000 actors, singers and students took part in its audition. However, the names of the cast members remain undisclosed at this time.

"'Les Miserables' casts actors only through auditions," the musical's PR company said in a statement. "Its creators have been striving to find the best actors."

"Les Miserables" will hit the stage in Seoul on Nov. 30 before arriving in Daegu in March next year.

Another attention-grabbing show in the pipeline is "Ben-Hur," a musical based on the 1880 novel, "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" written by Lew Wallace. The theatrical show highlights a complicated friendship between a Jewish nobleman named Judah Ben-Hur and a Roman general named Messala.

Actors Park Eun-tae, Shin Sung-rok and Kyuhyun of K-pop act Super Junior will play Ben-Hur in turn. The award-winning musical will begin its run on Sept. 2 at the LG Art Center in Seoul.

sunhwadong@koreatimes.co.kr