[What to attend] ‘The Golden Chaos Membership,’ ‘Hadestown,’ ‘Yujin and Yujin’

Although many need to spend extra time open air because the summer time warmth subsides this month, ensure to not miss these musical productions which might be closing quickly.

“The Golden Chaos Membership” provides a enjoyable and entertaining expertise, whereas “Hadestown” captivates audiences of all ages with its highly effective music. “Yujin and Yujin” explores the therapeutic course of and provides hope for these going through trauma.

The Golden Chaos Membership: A enjoyable present on forbidden issues

“The Golden Chaos Membership” takes place within the 18th century, when the king promoted austerity, banning actions that he believed disturbed individuals’s minds, resembling consuming and studying sure books. In response, individuals created areas the place they might bask in these forbidden pleasures. Storytellers secretly visited girls’s quarters to entertain them with tales. These areas, identical to the Golden Chaos Membership, have been locations the place societal roles and norms have been disrupted, and other people gathered to get pleasure from numerous pleasures.

The Seoul Performing Arts Firm’s interactive musical manufacturing stands out as a result of palpable ardour and vitality exuded by its actors — even earlier than the curtain rises. The actors give out tea exterior the venue to those that carry their cups earlier than the efficiency begins. The musical’s numerous soundscape, which seamlessly blends DJ music with conventional Korean parts, additional enhances the immersive expertise.

“The Golden Chaos Membership” runs on the Nationwide Theater of Korea till Sept. 28. Ticket costs vary from 60,000 gained ($44.89) to 70,000 gained, however numerous reductions apply, together with a 20 % low cost for international ID holders.

Hadestown: A Greek fantasy wears magical music

When the musical “Hadestown,” the winner of eight awards on the 73rd Tony Awards in 2019, together with Finest Musical, lastly got here to Korea in 2021, it was throughout the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. That didn’t cease the well-made musical mixed with one of the best Korean abilities from grabbing the viewers’s consideration.

“Hadestown” tells a model of the traditional Greek fantasy of Orpheus and Eurydice. In “Hadestown,” Orpheus is a poor singer-songwriter and Eurydice is a younger lady who goes to work in Hadestown to flee poverty and the chilly.

For this second run, the Korean manufacturing options Park Kang-hyun, Kim Min-seok and Zo Hyung-gyun as Orpheus, and the Greek god and narrator is carried out by seasoned actors Kang Hong-seok and Choi Jae-rim in addition to Choi Jung-won. Eurydice is portrayed by rising stars Kim Soo-ha and Kim Hwan-hee.

Hadestown runs till Oct. 6 at Charlotte Theater in Seoul earlier than shifting to Dream Theater in Busan from Oct. 18 to Nov. 3.

Yujin and Yujin: A deeply resonating story

The musical “Yujin and Yujin” provides a easy stage setting, that includes solely two actors — Massive Yujin and Little Yujin. Primarily based on the 2004 novel of the identical title by Lee Geum-yi, the story follows two center college women who have been sexually abused in the identical kindergarten, and their completely different journeys to work by means of their trauma. The writer was impressed by her daughter who additionally skilled sexual abuse when she was within the first grade of elementary college.

“I wished to put in writing a narrative about recovering one’s every day life in order that when my daughter faces new challenges or the outdated scar resurfaces, she learns recuperate,” Lee advised The Korea Herald in an interview earlier this 12 months.

Whereas it’s uncommon to see a two-person stage musical that includes two girls change into profitable, “Yujin and Yujin” resonates deeply with the viewers by means of its real story.

Identical to the e-book, the musical adaptation is centered on the monologue and dialog between the 2, however the actors assume versatile roles, embodying characters that embrace their moms, boyfriends and associates.

“Yujin and Yujin” runs till Sept. 22 at Hyperlink Arts Heart Dream in Daehak-ro, Seoul.