Art and Culture

Now with the weather all nice and warm, it's hard to stay indoors. So for all of us who are looking for more reasons to go out and enjoy the weather, our Michelle is here to give us ideas on where we can go to enjoy this beautiful weather.
Hello Michelle

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[Reporter : ] Hello Conn-young

So, what do you have for us today[Reporter : ] I am a huge fan of musicals and I am very happy and excited to introduce to you the musical 'Wicked'. It's the first time this musical is showing in Korea so for all of the musical fans, this is probably great news. Take a look.

One of the most popular Broadway musicals in the noughties, 'Wicked' is coming to Korea for the first time.

The friendship between two witches living in Oz is shown on stage.
The main characters of 'Wicked' are the two witches that lived in the world of Oz before Dorothy and her friends.

A green-skinned grumpy girl and a lovely blonde become friends as they go to a wizard school.

[Interview : Jemma Rix, Elphaba role] "Everybody can understand and relate to that about their own life with what they've gone through and people around them and so she's easy to connect to as an actress".

[Interview : Suzie Mathers, Glinda role] "She's so sweet and so innocent but she goes on a huge journey in the show and as an actress, it's a wonderful thing to do.

Originally a novel, the musical twists social stereotypes as the seemingly mean green witch actually turns out to be the nice one who takes all the blame for the popular blonde witch.

Along with the interesting story, the spectacular music, choreography, and stage techniques are collaborated to create a grand masterpiece.

[Interview : David Young, Artistic Director] "The friendship, love, and loss and all the heavy element about the government being corrupt is interesting in this times because it was around the time of 911..."

For the first show in Korea, the Australian cast will perform on stage. After this show, the musical plans to create a Korean version of 'Wicked' with a Korean cast.

MAY 01, 2012
Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr

Art and Culture 2

[Reporter : ] The musical, 'Wicked' will be showing at the Blue Square Samsung Electronics Hall from May 31st to June 30th.

Well, as someone who has already seen this musical, I strongly encourage everyone to see this musical. The performance is great, the sound track is amazing, and the musical has a solid plot.

[Reporter : ] My favorite song of the musical is 'Defying Gravity' and I, at one point, had to put this on repeat to get my daily dose of this song. The musical is not only fun to watch, but you also learn a lesson 'there more that meets the eye' and 'don't judge a book by its cover'. So this would be a great family outing, and a great way to spend the day with your friends.

Even though I've already seen this musical, I'm definitely going to see this again. And moving on, what else do you have for us[Reporter : ] Now I bring you an exhibition that is portrayed in a foreign prospective. This exhibition shows artifacts and photographs of how Seoul was portrayed from foreign ambassadors. Here are the details.


"The Korean Empire will keep its neutrality".
In 1903, before the Russo-Japanese war, Emperor Gojong sent this letter to the Italian Emperor to secure Korea's place as a neutral country when war erupts.

Along with this letter, there are 400 photographs of Seoul during the 1900s. These are photos taken by Carlo Rossetti, who was the second Italian consul to Korea.

Rossetti also wrote a book including these photographs titled, 'Corea e Coreani' that talked about his life in Korea.

The book contains stories of how he had first thought that Korean boys were girls, because of their long, braided hair. He also explains the culture shock of his first funeral service in Korea, as it was more festive than a period of mourning.

The viewers are also able to see dissertation papers and maps of the Korean Empire that were kept by the Italian Geographical Society, which also shows the close friendship between the two nations.


[Interview : Roh Sun-hee, International Exchange Coordinator
Seoul Museum of History] "It is quite easy to find documents written by foreign travelers and missionaries. However travel documents written by diplomats like Rossetti are very hard to find".

MAY 01, 2012

 

Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr

Art and Culture 3

[Reporter : ] The exhibition portraying ancient Seoul and its history from a foreign perspective will be held at the Seoul Museum of History until July 1st.

We've only seen exhibitions that portrayed Seoul from a Korean's perspective. I think this would be a very different portrayal of Korea, since it's conveyed from the eyes of Italians.

[Reporter : ] I think so too. Just like the International Exchange Coordinator said, it's hard to find opportunities to see documents and photographs written by diplomats so I think this would be a great opportunity to learn about Korea with a different perspective and insight.

I think so as well. And now, you have the events bulletin for us[Reporter : ] Yes I do. For more options for a fine spring day, I have a musical called 'Don't Cry Tonj , a Kim Bum-soo concert, and a play called Spring Again just for you.

[Reporter : ed:mark] This bulletin features 3 events

The musical 'Don't Cry Tonj' (Also documentary "Don't Cry for Me Sudan") will be held at the Sung Kyun Kwan University New Millenium Hall from May 3rd to July 15th. The musical will star the famous musical star Im Tae-kyung who also gained fame from participating in the show 'Immortal Song'.

Singer Kim Bum-soo's 'Get Alright Showchestra' will be held from May 25th to the 27th at the Grand Theater of Sejong Center. His hit songs include",I Miss You", "Once Upon A Day", and "Appear", the soundtrack to the hit TV show Secret Garden.

The play, "Spring Again" will be showing at the Gangdong Arts Center from May 8th to the 28th. The play portrays the life relationship between a mother and daughter, featuring actress Park Nam-hee as the mother and actress Jung In as the daughter.

Thank you for the update, we will see you tomorrow with celebrity news

[Reporter : ] My pleasure, see you tomorrow.

MAY 01, 2012
Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr