Revival of musical "Rent" begins in Seoul

The Broadway musical "Rent," which premiered here last year, will be restaged in the Opera Theater at Seoul Arts Center in Socho-dong beginning Saturday.

The revival is expected to be popular, with the reservation rate reaching 50 percent and ticket sales reaching as high as 85 percent for the previous run.

"Rent" is a modern version of Puccini`s opera "La Boheme." It depicts the love, friendship and passions of a group of young New York artists.

Nominated in 10 categories at the 1996 Tony Awards, "Rent" won four trophies, including best musical and best music. The story is highly emotional and the music ranges from rock to tangos to rhythm and blues.

Appearing in "Rent" are top musical stars like Nam Kyung-Ju, Choi Jung-Won, Lee Kun-Myung, Ju Won-Sung and Jeon Su-Gyung, who performed in the original run. However, some of them will play different roles than in the past.

Nam Kyung-Ju, who previously played the musician Rodger, an AIDS patient, will appear this time as Mark, the movie producer who narrates the play. Choi Jung-Won and Lee Kun-Myung will play the lovers, Mimi and Rodger, who refuse to abandon their love despite the pain of AIDS.

The first performance was criticized for the actor`s poor delivery and bad translations of the lyrics. Theater fans will be focusing on whether the upcoming performance can capture the heartfelt emotions of the original work.

The drama troupe "Sinsi," which produced the Korean version, brought "Last Empress" musical director Colleen Park on board to make improvements. Six musicians active in New York will perform live.

The musical runs until March 11. Show times are 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, and 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on weekends. Tickets range from 20,000 won to 50,000 won. Call 02-780-6400 for more information.