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Yoon Returns to Stage as Hedwig

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

Celebrated rocker Yoon Do-hyun will return to the stage for the first time in 10 years in the musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch".

The singer performed in rock musicals such as "Jesus Christ Super Star" and "Hard Rock Café", and the local film "Jungle Story", which depicts the personal and professional travails of an underground rocker.

Making his debut as an underground rock singer in 1995, Yoon has become one of the most famous musicians for his numerous hits, especially his 2002 World Cup songs.

His signature powerful and high-spirited vocals are an important asset to his role as "Hedwig", according to Show Note, the local production company.

In addition, Yoon sang the musical number "Angry Inch" in his television music show " Love Letter " in 2008, further proving his capabilities.

"I want to act frankly so my heart and body move just like Hedwig. He just talks and sings as he is", Yoon was quoted as saying in a press release.

He will portray the ill-fated protagonist as a transgendered rock musician who tries to become a woman.

His band members ― guitarist Heo Jun-I, bassist Park Tae-hee and drummer Kim Jin-won ― will also appear as the Angry Inch Band in the musical. For Park and Kim, it's their second time starring in a musical after "Hard Rock Café".

The 2009 version of the musical will open on Nov. 14 at KT&G Sangsang Art Hall in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. The show will tour more than 15 cities nationwide for six months after running in Seoul from November to February.

For the Seoul performance, Yoon, Kang Tae-eul and Shin Dong-wook will alternate playing the title role. Show Note said that it will announce the second lineup for the national tour next month.

"We can beat other blockbuster musicals slated for the end of this year with our star-filled cast drawing much more attention from the public", the company said.

The musical revolves around Hedwig, an East German transgendered rock musician, who chases after an ex-lover who plagiarized "her" songs.

In 1998, John Cameron Mitchell wrote the script and starred in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch". Mitchell not only wrote the musical, but directed the feature film version with the same title while performing the role of Hedwig.

Both the musical and the film have won multiple awards and have received highly acclaimed critical reviews, followed by various local renditions around the world.

The musical won an Obie and the Outer Critics Circle Award, and was also nominated for the Drama Desk Award. The film version of "Hedwig" also won the Best Director's Award and the audiences' Favorite Movie Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and the Teddy Award at the Berlin Film Festival.

Since its debut in Korea in 2005, the Korean rendition has enjoyed enthusiastic standing ovations from audiences, generating numerous musical stars such as Cho Seung-woo, Oh Man-seok, Song Chang-eui, Lee Suk-joon and Cho Jung-seok.

The Korean rendition has had more than 500 performances with the powerful punk rock, hard rock and heavy metal musical scores capturing the hearts of audiences.

The musical will open at KT&G Sangsang Art Hall in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, on Nov. 14. Tickets cost from 45,000 to 55,000 won.

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