Warm, moving and fresh musicals to enjoy

Korea Herald

01-03-2025

There's a good chance they'll bring you to tears
Don't wait for spring to bring warmth. In the lingering chill, let these three musicals warm your heart instead.
These productions may be recent, but they have made their mark. "A Thousand Blues" and "The Longest Nights" are making a swift return after their successful debuts last year. Meanwhile, "Chunja in Wonderland" made its debut this month but decided to extend its run for two more months.
'A Thousand Blues'
In this musical by Seoul Performing Arts Company, audiences will encounter a diverse range of robots — real robots, puppets and human-performed robotic characters — offering a unique exploration of how the performing arts will adapt to advancing technology. However, this musical is more than a science fiction story. It delves into the emotional and philosophical dimensions of human-robot relationships, human connections, and ways that humans exploit animals and everything around them.
Based on Cheon Seon-ran's bestselling sci-fi novel, "A Thousand Blues" is set in 2035. It revolves around an android named Collie, designed to be a jockey, and the racehorse Today. After a severe accident, Collie is rescued by a young girl, Yeon-jae, who believes in second chances.
"A Thousand Blues" runs at the Haeoreum Grand Theater at the National Theater of Korea until March 7. Ticket prices range from 30,000 won to 110,000 won ($21-$76). English subtitles are displayed on the sides of the stage, while Japanese and Chinese subtitles are available for viewers who book seats with subtitle displays. Barrier-free subtitles are available for individuals with hearing impairments.
'The Longest Nights'
The book "The Longest Nights" won the 21st Munhakdongne Children's Literature Award. But who says it's only for children? Both the musical produced by Library Company and the novel carry profound emotions, and it's adults who often find themselves in tears.
The musical version is a minimalistic production that relies on symbolism and features only five actors. It tells the poignant story of an unlikely friendship between Noden, the last white boulder rhinoceros, and a young penguin hatched from an abandoned egg. They set off on a journey across the desert to reach the sea, facing numerous challenges through the longest nights.
"The Longest Nights" runs March 12-May 25 at Interpark Seokyeong Square SKON2 in Daehangno, Seoul. Ticket prices range from 55,000 won to 65,000 won.
'Chunja in Wonderland'
While "A Thousand Blues" and "The Longest Nights" showcase what happens when a great imaginative story meets theatrical ingenuity, "Chunja in Wonderland" resonates on a starker and more relatable level, reflecting the growing reality of dementia in Korean society.
The number of people aged 65 and older diagnosed with dementia has already surpassed 1 million and is expected to reach 3 million by 2050, according to the National Institute of Dementia.
The production unfolds along two intertwining narratives: the chaotic real-world journey of a family desperately searching for their missing Chunja, an elderly woman with dementia, and the fantastical world seen through her eyes. Chunja follows a "soul fish," which escaped from her loosening grasp on reality. Following this mysterious creature, Chunja embarks on an extraordinary adventure, drifting between imagination and reality, memories and regrets.
Selected as part of the ARKO Selection by Arts Council Korea, "Chunja in Wonderland" runs through June 1 at the Zoom Art Center in Seoul. All tickets are priced at 55,000 won.