Musical 'Kleopatra' Coming to Town
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By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
The Czech musical, "Kleopatra" starring singer-turned-actress Park Ji-yoon and veteran actress Kim Sun-kyung, is coming to town and will shed light on the legendary life of Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Egypt, one of the most fascinating figures in history.
Michal David's Korean adaptation of "Kleopatra" is a first in the country and the operetta has a running time of one-hour-and-40-minutes. It consists of many musical numbers, including 18 pieces for the role of the queen, raking up 70 to 80 percent of the show.
Also, an ensemble featuring 20 actors will impress the audience.
Kleopatra will change costumes 13 times during the performance and will wear a gorgeous crown worth three billion won.
The show features flamboyant costumes and gigantic stage sets, which portray the size of an ancient Egyptian royal palace.
To reproduce scenes of war in the ancient kingdom, four beam projectors and other special effects will be used.
Park and Kim will alternate the role of Kleopatra, while prominent actor Kim Bub-lae will play the role of Julius Caesar.
Park is known as a successful singer with many hit songs such as "Sky-blue Colored Dream", "Baby, Baby, Baby" and "Adult Ceremony".
She debuted as a young actress in 1994 and released her first album in 1997 and then continued her singing career until 2003. But she later turned her eyes back to acting and has starred in a few dramas.
Her comeback in the musical will be made after a two-year hiatus following her last TV drama "Bicheonmu - Drama", which was shot in 2005.
The musical was first put on stage in 2002 and 2003 in the Czech Republic, attracting a total audience of 550,000. It was also performed in Slovakia in 2004, drawing 100,000 people to 150 performances.
The original version will also be staged in the Czech Republic from September through December.
"Kleopatra" has followed in the footsteps of other Czech productions such as "Dracula" and "Hamlet", both of which were adapted into Korean versions.
Czech musicals are gaining popularity as an alternative for the local industry as many Broadway and West End shows have already been introduced here.
The Czech musicals are different from Broadway and West End productions as they are allowed to be adapted for local tastes to some degree.
Except for the whole context of the work, small changes in details such as scripts, music and stage sets are changeable at the mercy of the domestic demands.
The musical will be staged from Oct. 15 to Nov. 30 at the Universal Arts Center, Seoul.
Tickets cost from 40,000 won to 100,000 won. For more information, call (02) 549-4166/7.
Staff Reporter
The Czech musical, "Kleopatra" starring singer-turned-actress Park Ji-yoon and veteran actress Kim Sun-kyung, is coming to town and will shed light on the legendary life of Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Egypt, one of the most fascinating figures in history.
Michal David's Korean adaptation of "Kleopatra" is a first in the country and the operetta has a running time of one-hour-and-40-minutes. It consists of many musical numbers, including 18 pieces for the role of the queen, raking up 70 to 80 percent of the show.
Also, an ensemble featuring 20 actors will impress the audience.
Kleopatra will change costumes 13 times during the performance and will wear a gorgeous crown worth three billion won.
The show features flamboyant costumes and gigantic stage sets, which portray the size of an ancient Egyptian royal palace.
To reproduce scenes of war in the ancient kingdom, four beam projectors and other special effects will be used.
Park and Kim will alternate the role of Kleopatra, while prominent actor Kim Bub-lae will play the role of Julius Caesar.
Park is known as a successful singer with many hit songs such as "Sky-blue Colored Dream", "Baby, Baby, Baby" and "Adult Ceremony".
She debuted as a young actress in 1994 and released her first album in 1997 and then continued her singing career until 2003. But she later turned her eyes back to acting and has starred in a few dramas.
Her comeback in the musical will be made after a two-year hiatus following her last TV drama "Bicheonmu - Drama", which was shot in 2005.
The musical was first put on stage in 2002 and 2003 in the Czech Republic, attracting a total audience of 550,000. It was also performed in Slovakia in 2004, drawing 100,000 people to 150 performances.
The original version will also be staged in the Czech Republic from September through December.
"Kleopatra" has followed in the footsteps of other Czech productions such as "Dracula" and "Hamlet", both of which were adapted into Korean versions.
Czech musicals are gaining popularity as an alternative for the local industry as many Broadway and West End shows have already been introduced here.
The Czech musicals are different from Broadway and West End productions as they are allowed to be adapted for local tastes to some degree.
Except for the whole context of the work, small changes in details such as scripts, music and stage sets are changeable at the mercy of the domestic demands.
The musical will be staged from Oct. 15 to Nov. 30 at the Universal Arts Center, Seoul.
Tickets cost from 40,000 won to 100,000 won. For more information, call (02) 549-4166/7.
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