Musicals face numerous challenges to benefit from their vast potential

The industry for musicals in the Republic of Korea remains small and stagnant, valued at the equivalent of $307 million a year. In comparison, theaters on Broadway in New York and in the West End of London do big business from such productions.

However, experts in Seoul said that Asia's fourth-largest economy has developed musicals with distinct characters, is home to unique audiences, and has great potential-but only after numerous challenges are overcome.

Won Jong-won, a music critic and communications professor at Soonchunhyang University, told The Korea Herald, "The popularity that other Korean cultural products enjoy and the potential of musicals cannot be separated, because many great musicals come from long-lasting popular stories and music.

"The country is producing a wealth of its own notable stories in many forms, although it might take some time for this potential to turn into reality. The only way to grow out of the current market is to make original musicals and license them out to other markets."

An industry expert also said the only way for the nation's musical industry to surpass its current market size is to create original productions.

"The current market size is at its maximum, despite relying heavily on K-pop stars and actors, without whom it is difficult to sell tickets," said the source, who only gave her surname as Kim.

Won and the industry source pointed to the Republic of Korea's unique marketing strategy.

While Broadway and the West End rely heavily on tourists to fill theater seats, the ROK's devoted fans are locals eager to see musicals a number of times.

This is due to the nation's musical industry developing a unique casting system, in which casting a number of performers simultaneously to take on a role is becoming the norm. The industry also relies heavily on established K-pop stars and actors.

Creating original musicals has long been the ambition of production companies, and attempts to create such shows have continued since the success of The Last Empress in 1995.

This musical is based on a historical novel by author Yi Mun-yol about Empress Myeongseong, the official wife of Gojong, the 26th king of Joseon and first emperor of the Korean Empire. Many attempts have been made to replicate the show's success.

EMK Musical Co adopted a different strategy by using a foreign creative team for shows based on popular stories from the West, such as The Man Who Laughs, from Victor Hugo's eponymous novel, and Mata Hari, the story of the Dutch spy during World War I.

The use of global creative teams for musicals based on popular stories has been criticized by some observers for not being authentically Korean. Won said views need to change on what constitutes an original or licensed musical.

"In this modern world of rapid globalization, we don't want to work solely with local people for the sake of remaining within the confines of what is considered Korean," Won added.

Asia News Network / The Korea Herald