Musical "Zorro" prepping for Korea opening

From left, musical actor Cho Seung-woo and musical actress Cho Jung-eun pose during a photocall of a press conference for musical "Zorro" held in Seoul, South Korea on July 11, 2011. [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

"It'll be likely to make money, it'll be fun, it'll be new." This, said by Park Joong-soo, the executive director of musical "Zorro," best describes the production. Zorro, who as the 'ancestor of masked heroes' born in 1919 was a character with a free spirit, wit and intelligence, has been loved through various mediums including books, films and dramas. And his power, targeted at the whole world and all generations, then got applied to musicals. Since raising its curtains at England's West End in 2008, the musical adaptation of "Zorro" is in showing or is waiting to be shown at some 20 countries around the globe including Europe, Asia and the U.S. So-called 'foreign historical dramas' such as "Jekyll & Hyde" "The Counte of Monte Cristo" and "Mozart!" may have been strong performers in the Korean market but the "Zorro" presented to the media through a press conference on July 11 was like them yet on a different course.

Its most distinct characteristic lays within its music. While the aforementioned productions presented its audience with elegant and graceful sounds based on classic and pop, the music for "Zorro" is as splendid and passionate as the sun. And as much as it is set in Spanish California, the numbers by Gipsy King which mixes rumba with flamenco, are perfect for "a show musical with weight," like cast member Cho Seung-woo says. This is actually the first time since musical "Don Juan" in 2009 to get to listen to Gipsy music. Since then, Kim Moon-jung who has been in charge of the music for a variety of genres of musicals and is the musical director for "Zorro," has been casting "professional players of Gipsy and Latin music." To add to this, a 20-person ensemble plans to show passionate dancing with the determination to "show what having fun on the stage professionally is about."

What also stands out about "Zorro" is that the cast includes a magic director, wire action director and flying and martial arts director, personnel you usually do not see for other productions. Wire had been used from time to time in "The Producers" and "Billy Elliot" but the bold action displayed by a member of the cast flying onto the stage from the second floor of the seats and fancy martial arts skills is the strength "Zorro" has over other productions. But more than anything, safety is the most important, like the controversial "Spiderman" musical in New York has proven. Hence for this, producer Showfac's chief Song Han-saem watched how "Zorro" was set up and taken down in Tokyo and with safety as top priority, had announced the show would start rehearsals a month before opening day.

However, the forte of "Zorro," as picked by the audience, lies in its casting. Although starting its run in November, "Zorro" held auditions in February to "secure good actors," according to Song Han-saem. And after lengthy auditions, Cho Seung-woo who said he spelled his name as "Zo instead of Cho while in the military," Park Geon-hyeong who will be holding a sword once again after his roles in "Hamlet" and "The Three Musketeers," and Kim Jun-hyun who has been landing the main characters of recent major productions, were cast for the role of Zorro/Diego. Also, Cho Jung-eun and Ku Won-young will play Diego's lover and friend Luisa, Choi Jae-woong and Moon Jong-won will be Diego's friend yet betrayer Ramon, and Kim Sun-young and Lee Young-mi the role of Inez who helps Diego. There is no need to doubt the capabilities of the cast and it is true that the collaboration of these actors, who already have a strong hold on the musical industry, in itself is drawing much attention. But the fact that most of the actors and their characters are predictable and that the casting is almost identical to "Jekyll & Hyde" from just a few months ago, is disappointing.

With four months left till opening day, what the Korean production of "Zorro" will focus on the most is its story. It is true that several productions licensed to Korea have been criticized for their weak plot and sentiment that is unbefitting of Koreans compared to their grand and fancy scale. "Zorro" has been created purely by Koreans, without the cooperation of a creative team from overseas, and the deal regarding the Korean version of the musical was reached in a way that the plot can be localized and reinforced. Hence, having a sense of balance will be most important to "Zorro." The show will run from November 4 to January 5 next year.

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