(Remember S.E.S’ That’s Bada of S.E.S, now disbanded, in the role of Esmeralda in the Korean production of ‘Notre Dame de Paris.’ / Yonhap)
The latest Korean production of the French musical “Notre Dame de Paris,” first seen in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, in October and Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, in December, has finally landed in Seoul.
Over the last three months, the show has been modified for Seoul audiences.
Choi Sung-hee (better known as Bada) has taken the limelight for her role as Esmeralda, a gypsy woman who lives in the front of the cathedral of Notre Dame with other gypsies.
Choi received vocal training under Michel Cerroni of the original French team last year.
The singer-turned-actress captivated the audience by successfully expressing frustration of her fatal destiny with her trademark high tones.
It was a daunting task for Choi, a former member of all-girl group S.E.S., to change her career path to that of a musical actress.
Her acting seemed to have improved compared from her previous musical performances ― “Pepper Mint” and “Tell Me On a Sunday.”
Also, Yoon Hyung-ryeol, who took the role of Quasimodo ― a pure-souled hunchback bell ringer of the cathedral, excelled with his strong baritone and doleful vocals.
The musical is based on a well-known tragic novel “Notre Dame de Paris” by the world-famous novelist Victor Hugo using the backdrop of the cathedral of Notre Dame during the 15th century.
One day, Frollo, the priest of the cathedral, sees Esmeralda dance and becomes obsessed with her. Frollo orders Quasimodo, his faithful servant, to kidnap Esmeralda. However, she escapes and is rescued by Phoebus, Captain of the King’s Archers. They immediately fall in love.
Quasimodo is also enamored of Esmeralda who shows kindness to him, when is tortured on charges of kidnapping. Out of jealousy, Frollo lures Esmeralda into a scheme and she is imprisoned under the false charge of murder.
In general, the Korean translation of the French blockbuster musical is a great sucess, helping Korean audiences to easily follow the storyline.
But it was not able to fully deliver the subtle nuances of the original text and lacks the original poetic expressions.
Despite these limitations, the piece allows the audience to be aware of an unjust, hypocritical and brutal society.
The quality of the musical lies with the doleful energy posessed by Quasimodo and Esmeralda rather than the athleticism of the dancers who leap and spin their bodies on their heads.
For the Seoul performance, the stage sets are decorated with six sidewalls that measures 8.5 meters in height, 1.6 meters in width. It is the first time such a scale has been shown in local theaters.
The walls symbolize the pillars inside the cathedral and are equipped with speakers, to help amplify the sounds, and the brilliant lighting on the sidewalls adds to the effect.
In 1998, “Notre Dame de Paris” premiered in France. Since then, 10 million people have seen the musical worldwide.
In 2005 and 2006, the musical attracted 190,000 people at the Sejong Center for Performing Arts, setting the highest audience record for the shortest time.
It was the first adaptation in Asia after it was translated into English, Italian, Russian and Spanish.
With lyrics by Luc Plamondon and music composed by Richard Cocciante, the show is renowned for its beautiful and heartbreaking musical numbers, which are performed without dialogue. The choreography spans various dance styles from ballet, contemporary dance, apparatus gymnastics to break-dancing.
The musical will run until Feb. 28. Tickets cost from 40,000 to 130,000 won. For ticket reservations, call 1544-1555 or visit www.interpark.com
chungay@koreatimes.co.kr
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200+ Photos of Bada as Esmeralda: Choi Sung Hee’s English Website - 0 [by MizzLinhie]
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