My HanCinema | Sign up, Why ? Your E-mail   Password    Auto| Help
HanCinema :: The Korean Movie and Drama Database, discover the South Korean cinema and drama diversity Contact HanCinema HanCinema on TwitterFaceBook HanCinema PageHanCinema on Twitter

HanCinema news & updates by E-mail

Daily   Weekly

Yoga (DVD) (First Press Edition) (Korea Version)
Your favorite Korean TV Drama DVDs are now available for as low as $12.99 - that's up to 84% off their regular prices! Choose from popular titles like One Fine Day, Over the Rainbow, Stairway to Heaven, Happy Together and The White Tower. Don't miss out on this amazing sale! Also, if you purchase any of these featured Korean Dramas, you can get a selected Korean Drama Soundtrack for 40% off the regular price!
YesStyle.com
US$5 off (order min. US$5) Coupon code HANSTYLE
Get a $10 off $20 order coupon, for first purchase and for HanCinema members only, so sign up, and get the coupon here
REDOPIN Women from South Korea - The Latest for SpringB.B Cream Collection - The Latest Korean Craze
Girls Generation on iTunes Epik High on iTunes

Film de la semaine

Ae-ja
Ae-ja
(애자 - 2009)
Plus
Cineasie - Where West Meets East

Back

Distinctive Reinterpretation Shines in Musical '200-Pound'

| Source | 2008/12/02 | 55 views | Permalink | 0 comments Share Buzz
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

The buzz word in this year's musical trend was"movical", referring to the combination of movies and musicals.

The boom in re-creating the cinematic arts on the musical stage cashes in on the success of hit films such as "Radio Star" and "The Harmonium in My Memory". Yet such musicals could be boring if they simply follow the same storyline of the film.

However, a new musical, "200 Pounds Beauty", based on the 2006 film of the same title, simply took the worries away by distinctively reinterpreting the original work.

The musical, starring singer-turned-actress Bada, better known as Choi Seong-hee, and actress Yoon Gong-joo, who both portray Kang Han-byeol, and actor Song Chang-ee, who takes the role of Han Sang-jun, opened Thursday at Chung Art Hall in Seoul.

The musical effectively condensed the story of the film version into an intensive comical show, with diverse musical elements and reinterpreted characters.

Using many musical numbers in addition to familiar songs already in the film, the musical invented more sophisticated stage sets, helping them change more quickly and spontaneously.

The most difficult part of the musical rendition was to portray the highlight of the story in which Han-byeol ― the title character ― transforms from a more-than-200-pound woman into a slim and beautiful woman after cosmettic surgery.

To portray the transformation, the musical used special make-up and specially designed stage sets, lights and costumes. In the surgery scene, the obese Han-byeol's change occurs like magic while a musical number is played.

The musical put more emphasis on the character of Lee Gong-hak, a top cosmetic surgeon who also happens to be her phone-sex customer, who was played by veteran actor Kim Sung-ki. Kim wonderfully inhabits the character with his unique mannerisms, a crucial part of the show for entertaining the audience.

Main actress Yoon exerted her energetic vocal capacity, displaying vocal tones reminiscent of the film heroine Kim Ah-joong's voice.

Her acting and singing were superb, fitting for the role of a top singer, but with much more accurate pronunciation and powerful resonance.

However, Song, who played Sang-jun, a famed music producer, was a little bit disappointing, as his timbre was a little unstable.

The musical was faithfully loyal to the basic plot but cut unnecessary parts and then filled the gaps with witty lyrics tinged with musical imagination and catchy musical numbers to escalate dramatic tension.

The original work's scenes of cinematic sophistication were replaced with musical elements with the help of the diverse staging.

Not only the actors and actresses but also the chorus and dancers superbly supported the story.

The musical reaches the same conclusion as the film, but its finale, in which Han-byeol and Sang-jun sing a duet, was a fresh twist possible only in the musical genre.

Broadway composer Tim Acito and stage designer Brian Prather were part of the creative team.

The musical "200-Pound Beauty" will be on stage until Feb. 1 at the Chungmu Art Hall, central Seoul. Tickets cost from 40,000 won to 90,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3485-8721 or visit Open the link

Source : www.koreatimes.co.kr... ( English Korean )

Back

hancinema.net comments
Pages:

Back

Newer : 'Celebrity's Sweetheart' Knocks on Viewer's Heart

Older : Korean Mothers in Eyes of US Writer

 Previous news
  • Korean Mothers in Eyes of US Writer
    2008/12/02 (Source)
    By Chung Ah-young
    Staff Reporter

    It is a typical scene during winter when Korean women get together to make kimchi for the season and chat.

    The annual event seems natural for Koreans and passes unnoticed, but an American playwright infuses dramatic elements into it and weaves it into a cheerf,...
    More

  • Expat culture connects
    2008/12/02 (Source)
    Seoul is traditionally the center of expat activity, but this year Daegu has pitched in with some exhibitions of its own.

    In September, Club:That turned its upper floors into a gallery for the second of a two-part event hosting work by more than 60 expats and Koreans.

    "It was a great turn out",...
    More

  • Member of K-Pop group found dead
    2008/12/02 (Source)
    A member of the five-piece K-Pop group M-Street was found dead in a basement recording studio at an officetel in the Dogok-dong of southern Seoul.

    In an apparent suicide by hanging, the body of Lee Seo-hyeon, 29, was discovered by the owner of the recording studio at approximately 4:15 p.m. Monda,...
    More

  •  
  • Tablo to Hold 'Book Concert'
    2008/12/02 (Source)
    By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Epik High frontman Tablo is holding a "book concert" at t,...More

  • Bae Yong-joon is highest-paid actor
    2008/12/02 (Source)
    A phenomenal Korean star in Japan, Bae Yong-joon is the highest paid actor in Korea, raking in 250 m,...More

  • Gwangju Int'l Film Festival to open Dec. 4
    2008/12/01 (Source)
    Many people talk about world-renowned international film festivals, such as Cannes, Venice or Berlin, where newly released films from around the world are premiered. Serious film fans also turn to their eyes to the Pusan International Film Festival, which has won international acclaim. Now it is the,...More

  •  
  • Mega drama duo signals hot winter
    2008/12/01 (Source)
    Two mega dramas of cinematic proportions are taking over weekday nights on SBS.

    Though both promise to deliver, at best, a saccharine dose of romance and melodrama, great fodder for one and top stars for the other forecast a successful winter for the major broadcasting channel.

    Starting tonigh,...
    More

  • B-Boys Bring Back World Champion Glory
    2008/12/01 (Source)
    By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter One of Korea's best B-boy groups, Last for One, is returning to ,...More

  • BoA to Make US Debut Through MTV
    2008/11/30 (Source)
    By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Korean pop sensation BoA will make her television debut in the U,...More

Back

Beast 2nd Mini Album – Shock Of The New Era
By Cédric Collemine | Privacy policy | Contact | Advertise on HanCinema globally and locally