Musical production “Frankenstein” is presented in Chungmu Art Hall in central Seoul. Although it’s based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, the musical is surprisingly an original Korean play, not a licensed one from abroad.

(Woman 1) It was so good that I saw it several times. Today’s production was the best. The voices of Victor and Henry앙리 went so well together. Their energy and tension reached the peak today. I love the play and I’m surprised at how far Korean musicals have come.
(Man 1) It has a solid and unique storyline. The scores are original and addictive, and the stage production was splendid as well.
(Man 2) This is a new attempt for a theater to produce an original play. A theater usually provides a venue for a production, but in this case the theater sponsored the whole production, providing a new possibility for theater.

Chungmu Art Hall has been preparing the musical production of “Frankenstein” for the past three years to celebrate the theater’s 10th anniversary. Apparently, Chungmu Art Hall’s hard work and patience are being rewarded with enthusiastic reviews from critics and theater-goers. Here’s Mr. Kim Hee-chul in charge of production planning at Chungmu Art Hall to tell us more.



“Frankenstein” was produced for overseas markets by local musical industry people. They worked on it for the past three years, and Chungmu Art Hall oversaw the whole process, from investment to casting actors and choosing production staff members. Chungmu Art Hall is a public theater operated by the Jung-gu District Office, which prompted the theater management to think about the roles of a public theater. The art hall has decided to support original musical productions and as a way to reach that goal, the theater itself got involved in the production of original plays and providing a new paradigm for local productions.

“The Last Empress” and “Hero” are two of the most notable big-scale musical productions made in Korea.

These musicals were based on stories of two of the most distinguished icons in modern Korean history. Their scale, story compositions, music scores, and stage props were all world-class. But their overseas performances failed to appeal to foreign audiences, since it was too hard to relate to the unfamiliar subject matter. Here’s Journalism and Communications Professor Won Jong-won원종원 of Soonchunhyang순천향 University.

Locally produced musicals had a difficult time in overseas markets because of the extremely localized, Korean nature of the subject matter. If foreign audiences are to relate to Korea’s original productions, the musicals should not be confined only to Korea’s own cultural or historical topics. They should think outside of the box. They can take something from another culture and add some Korean elements to it to make it original and resell it. It’s much like intermediary trade, bringing their materials and reselling them after including Korean sentiments. Korea’s recent original musicals are universally appealing, because they have chosen subject matters that everyone can relate to.

“Frankenstein” has been adapted many times over the years, starting with the silent film version in 1910 to the latest action/fantasy movie “I, Frankenstein” released in early 2014.

As an iconic work of British literature, “Frankenstein” was introduced to the international audience in various forms, including a TV series and animation films. It has universal appeal and lots of potential for foreign markets. Here’s Mr. Kim Hee-chul in charge of production planning at Chungmu Art Hall for more.

I’ve worked in the performing arts industry for 20 years and wondered why original musicals were ignored by the Korean audience or why they had to be based only on Korean subject matter. I believed that a production must think about appealing to the global audience and exporting it, from the planning stage. So two years ago, when Director Wang Yong-beom왕용범 suggested making a production based on Frankenstein, I jumped at the chance. I think it is meaningless for a musical to be confined to the Korean market. It should target a global audience like other hallyu contents. I think globally appealing stories can help create a new kind of hallyu in the world market.

Korean versions of “Jack the Ripper” and “The Three Musketeers” were received very warmly in Japan and China, because those musicals featured bankable K-pop singers popular in those countries. But both were originally Czech productions and Korea merely purchased its music scores and scripts in 2008. So they are not original Korean musicals in the truest sense. But “Frankenstein” is different. This musical production does not have any K-pop idols in its cast. Here’s director Wang Yong-beom.

We abandoned all money-making schemes in this production and decided to make an artistic musical with a sincere look at the theme. So we chose actors who fit the roles perfectly and who were remarkably talented, not those who could sell tickets. I think that sincere approach worked.

The musical features such experienced and talented actors like Yoo Joon-sang유준상, Park Eun-tae박은태 and Lee Gun-myoung이건명. They are noted for their detailed acting and powerful voices. Thanks to the solid acting of these accomplished actors, Korea’s “Frankenstein” production was able to win critical acclaim and popularity without a single young idol star.

The story of Frankenstein begins with Victor Frankenstein’s quest to become a god. Having lost his parents when young, Victor considers himself cursed and in order to be freed from the curse, devotes himself to creating life. Then he meets Henry Dupre앙리 뒤프레, who is a master at suturing body parts. This character is not in the original novel and can only be seen in the Korean production of “Frankenstein.” Here’s Mr. Kim Hee-chul in charge of production planning at Chungmu Art Hall to tell us more.

We thought long and hard about the monster. The relationship between the creator Victor and his creation could be a volatile and special one. The creature is made of flesh and blood and the fact that Victor turns his friend Henry into that monster is what sets this musical version apart from the original story. The feelings of love and hate shown by these two characters make this musical very special. And the audience is left to feel sympathy for the monster, which used to be human.

In the early part of the show Victor and Henry are very good friends. They differ in their ideas about the human quest, with Victor testing the limits of human capability and trying to violate the realm of god and Henry maintaining that the divine realm must not be violated by man. Nevertheless, they truly cared for each other.

It cost about 3.85 million dollars to produce “Frankenstein,” with nearly 100 thousand dollars allocated to stage setting. The money proved to be well-spent, as Victor’s lab, the pub Victor and Henry frequent, and other backgrounds appear so real and integral to the show. The stairs on both sides of the stage and other props are moved mechanically to convert the background from the pub to a dance hall and a 19th century battleground. In particular, Henry’s trip to the guillotine, charged with a murder he did not commit, is made to look so real that the audience can’t help but feel terrified.
Right before the execution, Henry asks Victor to use his body for science. And Victor brings Henry’s body back to life, going against God’s will. When Victor holds up Henry’s decapitated head, thunder and lightning rage on behind him, as if to demonstrate the wrath of God.

But it wasn’t Henry that came back. It was a monster, which people abused, tried to kill, and treated like a slave. Victor’s attempt to create a life to remove the curse only ended up making another cursed monster.

After the creation of the monster, the mood turns more eerie and gruesome. The monster is mistreated and beaten, and hatred and vengeance build up in his mind. The 22-member orchestra’s gloomy music intensifies the show’s tragic atmosphere. The two former friends finally meet in the snowy, blistering North Pole with guns pointed at each other. While the monster’s bullet passes through Victor’s thigh, Victor shoots the monster in the heart, killing it instantly. Only then does Victor find remorse in his foolish arrogance. In the original novel the monster kills Victor’s fiancé and Victor, unable to live with the tragedy, commits suicide and the monster follows suit. The original ending with every character dead seems milder and more forgiving than this Korean version in which Victor is left to live in guilt and agony, a fate more terrible than death.

Just a month into the musical’s run, which began on March 18, Chungmu Art Hall began receiving licensing requests from overseas. This is what the producers were waiting for the last three years. Here’s Mr. Kim Hee-chul of Chungmu Art Hall again.

Since the show was launched, we have been holding meetings with theater people from Japan and China. They have been proposing licensing the show or inviting the team to their own countries. I’m thinking about holding encore performances here in Korea after the current run is over and then go on the road in Asia. My ultimate, long-term goal is to show this production on Broadway or West End.



Original Korean musical “Frankenstein” has gotten off to a great start. Only 80 shows were initially planned for this run, but the producers have decided to extend the run for nine more shows. The popularity of “Frankenstein” is evident in the numbers – the show managed to sell 40 thousand tickets in just one month. The musical helped us think more deeply about one man’s selfishness to become a god and what life really means. It also served as a guiding light to Korea’s original musical industry. Director Wang Yong-beom gives us an insightful roundup about what this production has really accomplished.

There have been no large licensed musical productions in Korea that have satisfied both artistry and commercial profitability. But “Frankenstein” has met both goals. This inspiring and entertaining show will probably be performed in other countries as well. If I dare to hope for more, I would like to see Korea transform from a contents consumer, which mainly imports musicals from other countries, into a contents creator. I hope this is an opportunity for many more original Korean productions to be shown to the world.