The Last Empress (musical)
| The Last Empress | |
|---|---|
| Music |
|
| Lyrics |
|
| Book | Kwang Lim-kim |
| Basis | The Fox Hunt by Yi Mun-yol |
| Premiere | December 30, 1995 |
| Productions | 1995 Seoul 1997 Lincoln Center 2002 West End 2003 Los Angeles 2004 Toronto |
The Last Empress (Korean: 뮤지컬 명성황후) is a Korean musical about the Empress Myeongseong of Korea, based on the play The Fox Hunt by author Yi Mun-yol.[1][2] It debuted on December 30, 1995 at the Seoul Arts Center.[3][4]
The musical was created by musical director Yoon Ho-jin, who came up with the idea after watching a production of Cats in London. Yoon urged author Yi Mun-yol to write a play about Empress Myeongseong, leading him to write The Fox Hunt in 1994.[5] The play was adapted into a musical by playwright Kwang Lim-kim.[2]
The musical's songs were composed by Kim Hee-gap, with lyrics by Yang In-ja (translated by Georgina St. George).[2] The musical was produced by the Seoul-based company Arts Communication (A-Com).
The original production at the Seoul Performing Arts Center reached one million ticket sales by March 1, 2007.[6][7] The musical was performed several times in South Korea, including a production in 2021.[8] In 2025, to celebrate the musical's 30th anniversary, The Last Empress reopened at the Sejong Center in South Korea, playing from January to March.[9]
The musical also played overseas at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center, in 1997 and 1998, to favorable reviews. It also played in London's West End in 2002,[10] the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles in 2003,[11] and at Toronto's Hummingbird Centre in 2004. The Last Empress was the first Korean musical to be played at Western venues.[2]
Principal casts
[edit]| Character | Original | 2021[12] | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empress Myeongseong | Yi Tae-won | Kim So-hyun, Shin Young-sook | Kim So-hyun, Shin Young-sook, Cha Ji-yeon |
| Gojong | Kim Sun-tak | Kang Pil-seok, Son Jun-ho | Kang Pil-seok, Son Jun-ho, Julian Jootake Kim |
| Hong Gye-hun | Oh Jong-hyuk | Park Min-seong, Yoon Hyeong-ryeol, Lee Chang-sub | Yang Jun-mo, Park Min-seong, Hyunghun Baek |
| Daewongun | Seo Young-joo | Lee Jeong-yeol, Seo Beom-seok | Lee Jeong-yeol, Seo Young-joo |
| Miura | Kim Do-hyung (actor) | Kim Do-hyung, Choi Min-cheol | Kim Do-hyung, Moon Jong-won |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Lefkowitz, David (July 31, 1998). "Korean Musical The Last Empress Returns to New York, July 31-Aug. 23". Playbill. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Hyunjung, Lee (January 27, 2010). "Performing Korean-ness on the Global Stage: Ho-Jin Yoon's Musical The Last Empress". Theatre Research International. 35 (1). Cambridge University Press: 54–65. doi:10.1017/S030788330999037X.
- ^ Kirk, Don (March 27, 1998). "'Last Empress,' Musical Echo of Korea's History". The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Lee, Jian (2025-02-05). "'Last Empress' becomes first homegrown musical to see over 2 million viewers". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Ga-young, Park (2025-02-05). "Musical about the tragic last empress of Joseon marks 30th anniversary". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Choi, Min-woo (2007-03-07). "Queen Min makes history a second time". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ "Korean musical approaches 1 million viewers". Hankyoreh (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Eun-byel, Im (2021-01-03). "Performing art scene in hope of 2021". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ Ga-young, Park (2025-02-05). "Musical about the tragic last empress of Joseon marks 30th anniversary". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ "The Last Empress, a CurtainUp London review". www.curtainup.com. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ "Los Angeles News and Events". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ Park, Soo-In (November 3, 2020). "Kim So-hyun, Son Jun-ho → BTOB Lee Chang-sub, confirmed to appear in the musical 'The Last Empress' (Official)". Naver (in Korean). Retrieved January 1, 2021.
External links
[edit]- 'Last Empress,' Musical Echo of Korea's History by Don Kirk, International Herald Tribune (March 27, 1998)
- Making of an Asian hit: A Korean royal tragedy in the Broadway style by Ricardo Saludo, Asia Week (December 18, 1998)
- New York Times review 1998
- New York Times review 1997
- LA Weekly review
- Asiaweek article
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