Ivy becomes first Korean 'Chicago' lead

"After years of dedication to one role, an extraordinary opportunity finally came my way. I'm honored to represent South Korea's musical theater community, but I also feel the weight of that responsibility."

Singer and actress Ivy will take the Broadway stage as Roxie Hart in the long-running musical "Chicago," becoming the first South Korean performer to land a leading role in the production on Broadway.

Speaking at a news conference Tuesday at Chungmu Arts Center in Seoul, Ivy, 44, said the prospect of performing on Broadway still feels daunting.

"Sometimes the pressure feels immense, and there are moments when I can barely catch my breath thinking about standing on that stage," she said. "But I want people to see that opportunities can come your way even if your English isn't perfect, you're no longer young or you're not a major star."

Ivy portrayed Roxie Hart 592 times in South Korea between 2012 and 2024. She will take the Broadway stage at New York's Ambassador Theatre from Aug. 17 through Sept. 6. Park Myung-sung, head of South Korean production company Shin's Company, said her Broadway casting reflects the growing global standing of South Korea's musical theater industry.

Ivy said she was first invited to audition four or five years ago but dismissed the idea because she lacked confidence in her English skills.

When the opportunity resurfaced last year, she decided to give it a try. After three rounds of video auditions, she won the role.

"I received a lot of feedback about my pronunciation during the first audition," she said. "I focused on improving that before the second round, when I was told to work more on my accent. I made those adjustments as well before the final audition. I think they valued the progress I showed throughout the process."

Ivy described Roxie as "a clever woman who dreams of reclaiming stardom and finds a way through every crisis, even behind bars." "I see a lot of myself in Roxie," she said. "We're both resilient and optimistic. I hope this experience encourages people to keep chasing their dreams and gives them confidence to take on new challenges."


Min Kim kimmin@donga.com