| Musical Adaptation of 'My Sweet Seoul' to Hit Stage (Source) |
2009/10/20 |
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
"My Sweet Seoul", a musical based on Jeong I-hyeon's bestselling novel of the same name, will hit the stage next month.
The work was also made into a 2008 television drama, depicting the life of thirty-something urbanites in the 21st century.
The musical, presented by OD Musical Company, Eda, Show Play and the Theatre Yong will star Kim Woo-hyung, Park Hye-na and Lee Jung-mi.
"Both the drama and novel gained enormous popularity with a loyal fan base. So it was hard to put this work on stage. But we will break away from the traditional style of stage art to depict what is happening in present society", Shin Chun-soo, producer of the musical and head of OD Musical Company, said during the press conference for the show.
For the theatrical version, a new character named Which will be introduced to add a new flavor.
"The character Which is an omniscient narrator who embodies the female protagonist's internal struggles ― an objective ... |More
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| Steady sellers dominate year's stage calendar (Source) |
2009/01/03 |
The country's performance arts calendar in the new year may disappoint some fans. Production companies and concert organizers are cautious in their selection of shows with the general trend being to stick with works that have proven ticket-power.
Nonetheless, there are plenty of performances that you may want to mark on your calendar.
The line up of musicals, which enjoy great crowds here as unquestionably the most favored genre, is noticeably more conservative. They will be mostly steady sellers while more experimental homemade shows will be postponed.
Classical music concerts and dance performances by top-rated artists, most of which are booked two to three years ahead, will be staged as scheduled. But production companies are expected to focus increasingly on talented domestic artists.
Fans will see revivals of a host of hit musicals, including the vernacular production of the Broadway musical "Rent", a story about love, friendship and passion of poor aspiring artists in... |More
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| 2008 Literature: Return of Korean Novels (Source) |
2008/12/19 |
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
This year, Korean literature has resurged, surpassing the popularity of the self-help and practical books, which usually sell well in economic slump.
According to Kyobo Bookstore, many novels dealing with family values and warm-hearted emotions garnered popularity.
"The contents of self-help books have become similar and overdone over the years. Instead, novels with human stories seem to be helping readers deal with their worries during these times", an official of the bookstore said.
Prolific productions by veteran and new Korean authors mark the return of novels and the resurrection of Korean literature despite sorrow over the deaths of two great authors.
Deaths of Great Authors
This year, the Korean literature scene lost the two master authors. Veteran novelist Park Kyung-ni, renowned for her masterpiece "Land" ("Toji, the Land"), died from lung cancer at the age of 82 on May 5.
Park, one of the most revered authors in Korea, wa... |More
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| What is the best original work of popular dramas and movies this year? (Source) |
2008/12/12 |
As the best original work of movies and dramas which impressed audiences, 'Gourmet' and 'My wife got married' got selected.
'Look for the original work! 2008 the Original Work Awards' was conducted in Yes24 (Delegate: Dong-Nyeong Kim, http://www.yes24.com), an Internet bookstore. 'Dependent' won the Drama Division and 'My wife got married' won the Movie Division.
Six dramas such as 'My Sweet Seoul', 'Land of Wind', 'Painter of the Wind', 'Gourmet', 'Iljimae', and 'Tazza' have been listed in Drama Division. Among them, 'Gourmet' has been selected as the best one by obtaining 1114 votes (32.4%). 'Painter of the Wind'(713 votes, 20.8%) which has been televised currently and 'Tazza' (684 votes, 19.9%) have followed. Especially, 'Painter of the Wind' (713 votes, 20.8%) and 'My Sweet Seoul' (433 votes, 12.6%), which got 4th and 5th, became best selling novels. For Movie Division, 'My wife got married', a novel which has been remade as a movie with actor and actress, Kim Joo-Hyeok and So... |More
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| Gong Ji-young Releases New Novel Online (Source) |
2008/12/05 |
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
If you are waiting for a new novel by celebrated novelist Gong Ji-young, just go online instead of rushing to a bookstore.
Gong has launched her new novel, "The Crucible" on Daum, one of the nation's major portals, along with other prominent authors like Lee Ki-ho and Ham Min-bok.
Gong's new novel is based on the sexual assault incident at Gwangju Inhwa School, a special school for deaf students, in which educational workers continuously sexually harassed disabled students in 2005.
The novel's title was taken from Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", based on the real events leading up to "witch trials" in the small puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, portraying the event as an allegory for
Lee Ki-ho has also started the Internet serial novel "Apology is Easy".
McCarthyism, an intense anti-communist craze that swept the U.S. in the wake of World War II.
Gong said that the novel portrays the cruelty of a group in which individual... |More
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