| The Last Empress | |
|---|---|
| Music | Kim Hee Gap |
| Lyrics | Yang In Ja Georgina St George |
| 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 2007 Seoul |
The Last Empress (Korean: 뮤지컬 명성황후) is a Korean musical about the Empress Myeongseong of Korea, based on the historical novel The Fox Hunt by author Yi Mun-yol. It debuted on December 30, 1995.
The musical was originally directed by Yun Ho-jin, and its songs were composed by Kim Hee-gap, with lyrics by Yang In-ja (translated by Georgina St. George). The musical was produced by the Seoul-based Arts Communication (A-Com).
The original production at the Seoul Performing Arts Center was expected to reach one million ticket sales by March 2007.
It played 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, the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles in 2003, and at Toronto's Hummingbird Centre in 2004.
Original cast
| Character | Original |
|---|---|
| Empress Myeongseong | Yi Tae-won [Ko] |
| Gojong | Kim Sun-tak |
| Hong Gye-hun | Oh Jong-hyuk |
| Daewongun | Seo Young-joo |
| Miura | Kim Do-hyung (actor) [Ko] |
See also
References
- Lefkowitz, David (July 31, 1998). "Korean Musical The Last Empress Returns to New York, July 31-Aug. 23". Playbill. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- Kirk, Don (March 27, 1998). "'Last Empress,' Musical Echo of Korea's History". The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- "The Korea Times". The Korea Times. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- "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.
External links
- '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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