Broadway Musical 'K-pop' Casts Korean Idols... Miss A's Min, U-KISS's Kevin, and More

On March 30 (local time), attendees are taking a commemorative photo at the press conference for the Broadway debut of the musical 'K-pop' held at the New York Korean Cultural Center in New York City, USA. From the left: director Teddy Bergman, Jo Yoon-jeung, director of the New York Korean Cultural Center, Luna, former member of the girl group f(x), and co-composers Helen Park and Max Vernon. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joeslgina] Many actors who were formerly Korean idols, such as Miss A and U-KISS, have been cast in the Broadway musical themed around K-POP.

According to the New York Korean Cultural Center on the 4th (local time), musical 'KPOP' co-producers Tim Forbes and Joy Faunce announced an additional casting list including Kim Bo-hyung, formerly of the girl group 'SPICA' and currently active in the vocal duo 'KIMBO', Lee Min-young (Min) who was in the girl group 'Miss A', and Kevin Woo (Kevin) from the boy group 'U-KISS'.

Earlier, at a press conference held in New York on the 30th of last month, the production team announced that the musical KPOP would be staged on Broadway this fall, introducing Luna, formerly of the girl group f(x), as a main cast member.

The additional casting list revealed that day included Julia Abueva, Will Brill, Major Curda, Hwang Joo-min, Jung Jin-woo, Kang Ji-ho, Geum Mi-yeon, James Go, Eddie Lee, Julie Lee, Lee Hae-chan, Abraham Lim, Kate Mina Lin, Aubrey Melis, Patrick Park, John Lee, and others. The production team stated, "This is the first Broadway show dealing with Korean culture," and added, "16 of the cast members are making their Broadway debut."

The musical KPOP was first showcased in September 2017 in Off-Broadway small theaters and received favorable reviews. It tells the story of a fictional Korean agency producing a female idol group, a boy band, and a famous solo female singer, featuring not only Korea's idol training system but also addressing various social issues such as racial discrimination in American society, xenophobia, and the commodification of humans. The musical KPOP was written by Korean-American second-generation playwright Jason Kim, with Helen Park and Max Vernon jointly composing and writing the lyrics.

The previews will be held at the Circle in the Square Theatre in New York City starting October 13, with the official opening on November 20. Tickets are currently available for purchase through Broadway theater box offices and Telecharge.