The Last Empress (musical)
Template:Short description Template:Infobox Musical The Last Empress (Korean: Script error: No such module "Lang".Template:Category handler) is a Korean musical about the Empress Myeongseong of Korea, based on the play The Fox Hunt by author Yi Mun-yol.[1][2] It debuted on December 30, 1995 at the Seoul Arts Center.[3][4]
The musical was created by musical director Yoon Ho-jin, who came up with the idea after watching a production of Cats in London. Yoon urged author Yi Mun-yol to write a play about Empress Myeongseong, leading him to write The Fox Hunt in 1994.[5] The play was adapted into a musical by playwright Kwang Lim-kim.[2]
The musical's songs were composed by Kim Hee-gap, with lyrics by Yang In-ja (translated by Georgina St. George).[2] The musical was produced by the Seoul-based company Arts Communication (A-Com).
The original production at the Seoul Performing Arts Center reached one million ticket sales by March 1, 2007.[6][7] The musical was performed several times in South Korea, including a production in 2021.[8] In 2025, to celebrate the musical's 30th anniversary, The Last Empress reopened at the Sejong Center in South Korea, playing from January to March.[9]
The musical also played overseas 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,[10] the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles in 2003,[11] and at Toronto's Hummingbird Centre in 2004. The Last Empress was the first Korean musical to be played at Western venues.[2]
Principal casts
| Character | Original | 2021[12] | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empress Myeongseong | Template:III | Kim So-hyun, Shin Young-sook | Kim So-hyun, Shin Young-sook, Cha Ji-yeon |
| Gojong | Kim Sun-tak | Template:III, Son Jun-ho | Kang Pil-seok, Son Jun-ho, Julian Jootake Kim |
| Hong Gye-hun | Oh Jong-hyuk | Park Min-seong, Template:III, Lee Chang-sub | Yang Jun-mo, Park Min-seong, Hyunghun Baek |
| Daewongun | Seo Young-joo | Lee Jeong-yeol, Template:III | Lee Jeong-yeol, Seo Young-joo |
| Miura | Template:III | Kim Do-hyung, Choi Min-cheol | Kim Do-hyung, Moon Jong-won |
See also
References
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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