Kim Junsu stars in 2nd musical "Tears of Heaven" - Part 2

Published on 2010/12/14 | Source

Jeon Dong-suk speaks at a press conference for musical "Tears of Heaven" held at the Imperial Palace hotel in Seoul, South Korea on December 13, 2010. [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

Q: Jung Sang-yoon and Jeon Dong-seok, you'll be switching off the role of Jun with Kim Junsu. Why did you choose to take on this role and could you give us a brief explanation of your character?
Jeon Dong-seok: I personally love Frank Wildhorn's music so I'm happy to get to take part in another one of his productions after “The Count of Monte Cristo.” The songs are classical numbers and go well with me. Jun goes to Vietnam after giving up on his dream to become a writer. I see him as a character who is both sensitive and artistic.
Jung Sang-yoon: I played the role of Raoul for over a year in “Phantom of the Opera” so after being in one production for such a long time, I was full of the desire to take on a new musical and character and was lucky enough to get to choose a good musical. At first Jun is attracted to Lyn for her looks and voice but he's someone that wants to cure her of the surprisingly dark and gloomy side to her.

Q: Brad Little, this will be your third time appearing in a musical in Korea after “Phantom of the Opera” and “Jekyll & Hyde.” What sort of character is Colonel Grayson?
Brad Little: I think I must be the first non-Korean actor who has been in Korean musicals. (laugh) Colonel Grayson is the staff officer of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command. He falls in love with the beautiful Vietnamese singer Lyn and he wants her to love him back but it doesn't happen so easily. It feels like he's similar to the phantom from the “Phantom of the Opera” but he's also completely different from phantom as well. There will also be a passionate and romantic theme to the article like in “Jekyll & Hyde” which female fans are bound to love so you can look forward to that as well. (laugh)

Q: In what language will the production be created? Colonel Grayson appears as a main character in the musical.
Seol: Grayson will say his lines in English and all the characters who speak with him will also speak in English. But conversations with Jun will be in Korean. This is a method that has almost never been attempted before and it may be difficult for the audience to immerse themselves into the story because there will be subtitles but we judged that it's the right way to go about it. That's also why the actors are pressured about the English but I told the producer yesterday that it may be better for the actors to have their characters use Korean-style English and Vietnamese-style English rather than speak the language perfectly.

Brad Little speaks at a press conference for musical "Tears of Heaven" held at the Imperial Palace hotel in Seoul, South Korea on

December 13, 2010. [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

Q: The participation by creative teams from overseas stands out.
Seol: The musical numbers by Frank Wildhorn are much more commercial and pop-like compared to his past work. They also have a degree of completion which is enough to appeal to fans in the United States. And David Gallo is a stage designer who has won the Tony Award in Broadway but he too will work in a different pattern than he has in the past including incorporating a lot of video. We have the perfect designs for each scene but they could change when we actually start making the musical. I am a bit worried that it may turn out too artistic.

Q: What's the reason you insisted on working with a foreign crew when the production itself is Korean?
Seol: It would have been great to work with a Korean crew but there definitely needs to be improvement in certain areas. And a lot of people may be skilled but none of them have experience in Broadway and we need people from there to win.

Q: The show will premiere in Korea but is planning on touring to Asia and the rest of the world. In what way will the show run overseas?
Seol: The musical will still be in Korean when it goes on tour in Asia but when it goes to Europe and the U.S., we plan to pick an entirely new cast composed of actors from the countries the musical will show in.

Q: Has the schedule been set for the world tour?
Seol: Everything is in it's planning stages right now. In the case of “Dream Girls” from 2009, it was easier to tour overseas since it was based on a production that's already out but “Tears of Heaven” will run for the first time so I think we'll start setting a schedule after producers from Japan and Europe come and watch our Korea show in February.

Jung Sang-yoon, Kim Junsu and Jeon Dong-suk [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

From left, musical "Tears of Heaven" male cast Jung Sang-yoon, Kim Junsu and Jeon Dong-suk pose during a photocall of a press conference held at the Imperial Palace hotel in Seoul, South Korea on December 13, 2010.