Musicals coming to stage to mark 70th anniversary of national liberation

Musicals coming to stage to mark 70th anniversary of national liberation. May. 12, 2015 07:21. kimje@donga.com.

A series of large-scale creative musical are coming stage to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea`s liberation from Japan`s colonial rule.

The first one to come to stage was "Hero," which is performed at the Blue Square Samsung Concert Hall in Itaewon, Seoul until the end of May. Telling the real-life story of An Jung-geun, a Korean independence activist who in 1909 assassinated Ito Hirobumi, then a Japanese administer of power in Korea, the musical promotes An`s dream of a peaceful Asia. The musical has been enjoying high popularity since its premiere in 2009. In February this year, the show was performed three times in Harbin, China where An assassinated Hirobumi to mark the 70th liberation anniversary and the 105th anniversary of An`s death.

"The Last Empress," one of the best-known Korean musicals, marks 20 years of its premiere. The musical, which premiered in 1995, the 100th anniversary of the 1895 assassination of Empress Myeongseong by armed Japanese gang, has attracted more than 1.3 million viewers. It is the first Asian musical to go on stage in Broadway, New York. Later, it went on stage in London`s West End. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of its first run, the musical will be on show at the Seoul Arts Center Opera House in southern Seoul from July 25 to September 12. A-Com, the producer of the hit musical, says it plans to change the show`s overall structure to add modern senses and tensions.