By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
``The Phantom of The Opera,'' by legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, is one of the world's best-selling Broadway musicals and a landmark in local musical history that prompted huge growth in local productions both in quality and quantity.
It drew a record setting 240,000 viewers in a short time when it was first staged in 2001, a record that still stands.
Since then, the musical has been a watershed, dividing local musical history into the pre- and post-The Phantom of The Opera eras.
The legendary show will soon return after eight years for a lengthy run starting Sept. 23 at Charlotte Theater in Jamsil, southern Seoul.
The production has a 24-billion won budget and unveils a new cast of rising musical stars.
``When we first put `The Phantom' on stage in 2001, many people thought it was a crazy idea because the financial crisis in 1997 has just ended and there had never been such a big-budget musical. But we made it big and totally changed the Korean musical history and enlarged the musical market,'' Seol Do-yun, president of Seol & Company, said in a musical showcase and press conference.
``Ironically it's the same situation from eight years ago. Now the Korean musical industry is suffering from the decreasing number of theater-goers due to the global economic recession. But I still believe that the musical will do the trick once again,'' he said.
Seol said that one of the biggest changes from the 2001 version is its translation. Over the last six months, the Korean creative team staff has strived to readjust some of the flawed lyrics of the past.
``For the new version, the Korean creative team has a stronger voice in the production. The RUG Company of London has trust in us because of the success of the 2001 production,'' said Seol.
Yang Jun-mo was chosen for the coveted role of the Phantom. Yang is renowned for his roles in ``Sweeney Todd'' and ``See What I Wanna See.'' Yang will alternate as the Phantom with Yoon Young-suk, who performed the role in 2001.
``I think trying the role of the Phantom is a kind of a duty as an actor. I am very happy,'' Yang said.
Kim So-hyun also takes on the role of Christine again after a successful performance in 2001 while Choi Hyun-joo, a member of Shiki, a Japanese major theater troupe, will also play the role.
For Raoul, musical heartthrobs Hong Kwang-ho of ``Jekyll and Hyde'' and Jung Sang-yun will alternate in the role. Hong said that he auditioned for the role of Raoul in 2001 but couldn't take the role because he was too young.
``I thought I wanted to play Raoul in my 40s but in my late 20s, I can still play the role,'' Hong said.
``Both the Korean and original creative teams are satisfied with the cast members. Yang and Hong were acclaimed for their perfect performances in the audition process. Hong has shown he's perfect for the role of Raoul and might play the role of the Phantom next year, as the lengthy run will need triple casting for the Phantom,'' said Seol.
However, the company will not release the cast list before each show to prevent an unbalanced preference for certain actors.
``We estimate the musical will attract about 400,000 theater-goers after surpassing the break-even point and will break the self-established record of 240,000 viewers,'' he said.
The company said that to help keep ticket prices down, it will operate a seasonal ticket system, which will see ticket prices adjusted during high-demand and slack seasons.
Tickets will cost 130,000 won on weekdays and 140,000 won on weekends in July and August, but will drop to 110,000 won on weekdays and 120,000 won on weekends from January to March.
The performance will open on Sept. 23 and run until Aug. 8 of next year at the Charlotte Theater. For reservations, call 1588-7890.