Oh Man-seok (오만석)

'Hedwig' returns freestyle

2008/05/27 | Source | Permalink |

Mega-hit rock musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" will run for a fourth season starting late June, production company Shownote announced.

But there will be a twist this season: Six different actors will take on the title role, each for three to six weeks at a time. All the Hedwigs will be completely different from the others, with outfits, make-up, and even lights personalized to fit and reinforce each Hedwig, the production company said.

Shownote added that five of the Hedwigs will be from past performances. Auditions will be held for the last actor.

Starting off "Hedwig-Freestyle" are two former Hedwigs: Kim Da-hyeon, lead vocalist of rock band Yada and dubbed the "prettiest" Hedwig; and Song Yong-jin, lead vocalist of the band Cuba, who is regarded as the most provocative and passionate Hedwig.

Since its Korean premiere in 2005, the musical, whose protagonist is a transgender singer, has been a huge success, contrary to naysayers who thought that Koreans would find the s...| More

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Hedwig Stars Mitchell, Oh to Perform Together

2008/05/13 | Source | Permalink |

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

John Cameron Mitchell, original scriptwriter and star of a rock musical, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" will hold a concert with Korean Hedwig star Oh Man-seok in Seoul next month.

According to Shownote, a production company for the Korean rendition of the musical, the concert is designed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the musical's debut in 1998.

Mitchell wowed Korean fans last year while joining the concerts with other Korean Hedwig cast members.

It is surprising for Korean fans to see Mitchell perform again here as the versatile American scriptwriter, actor and director has rarely performed anywhere outside the United States.

The musical has toured in 70 cities around the world, re-creating many other different interpretations since the premiere to New York in 1998.

The Korean rendition of "Hedwig" was first put on stage in 2005, enjoying enthusiastic standing ovations from audiences until now.

So far, the Korean rendition ha...| More

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Who will be the next music sensation?

2008/04/0 | Source | Permalink |

The Korean airwaves will soon be alive with "My Fair Lady", when a TV reality show begins auditions to cast the role of Eliza Doolittle in an upcoming Seoul production of the beloved Broadway musical.

OD Musical Company, joining hands with ON media, one of local cable TV channels, is producing the first Korean version of TV reality shows selecting new musical stars. It follows a similar format that the hit BBC series "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" took two years ago.

The British TV production enjoyed incredible popularity and made Connie Fisher, a telephone operator, a new-born star chosen by the public to play Maria in the musical "The Sound of Music". The BBC program won the 2007 International Emmy Award for best non-scripted entertainment program.

Shin Chun-soo, head of OD Musical company, said that the Korean version of the TV reality show will help the company pick out young talent and make the musical known to the public before it hits the stage.

"It is hard...| More

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Korean films sought after by Europe and Asia

2008/02/13 | Source | Permalink |

European and Asian buyers closed deals on several Korean films' rights at the Berlin Film festival's market. JEON Ji-hyeon's star power in Asia resulted in "A Man Who Was Superman" being sold to Hong Kong (Golden Scene), Thailand (J-Bics), and Singapore (Festive Films) by CJ Entertainment. The human interest drama was directed by JEONG Yoon-cheol and stars HWANG Jeong-min as a traumatised man.

German Splendid pre-bought the rights for "The Divine Weapon" and "Fate". CJ Entertainment also sold "Open City" and "Our Town" to Splendid.

"Fate" is an action noir starring Korean star KWON Sang-woo and SONG Seung-heon. KIM Hae-gon directs the story about friends who turn to crime.

The historical drama "The Divine Weapon" stars JEONG Jae-yeong and is about the invention of an advanced weapon to defend a former Korean dynasty. JEONG frequently collaborated with celebrated director JANG Jin and his latest film is the comedy "Going by the Book". "Wild Card"'s director KIM Yoo-jin helme...| More

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Marriage of Movies, Musicals in 2008

2008/01/14 | Source | Permalink |

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

Koreans are using the word "movical" more and more these days. It is an apparent keyword to define a trend in the local musical industry.

"Movical", a combination of "movie" and "musical", refers to interaction between the two industries. It started with a local film, "Waikiki Brothers", (2001) directed by Lim Soon-rye, which was adapted for the musical stage in 2004.

For this year alone, about seven or eight musicals based on films are expected to be put on stage.

"Singles", the musical based on the namesake local film, which premiered last year, will launch its second season, starring singer-turned-actor Son Ho-young, former member of all-men pop group G.O.D. starting from Jan. 15 to Feb. 24 at Hoam Art Hall.

"Radio Star", based on the film featuring Park Joong-hoon and Ahn Seong-gi, will now be made into the musical, starring comedian-turned-actor Jung Sung-hwa who stole the limelight in last year's excellent performance of "Man of La...| More

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