10-Year Steady Seller... Musical 'Geunaldeul' Capturing Emotion, Fun, and Nostalgia

Jukebox Musical Made from Late Kim Kwang-seok's Songs
Solid Story with Notable Humor

For a remarkable 10 years, the domestic musical 'Geunaldeul' has been running, opening at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center. The show on stage is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of the late singer Kim Kwang-seok, who passed away at a young age, leaving a poignant legacy. It has attracted 550,000 audience members so far, adding vivid colors to the faint nostalgia for Kim Kwang-seok. As a well-polished steady seller musical, it lives up to the phrase "myth lives on" without disappointment. The 165-minute running time flies by like an arrow. The storyline flows seamlessly, whether it is the story built around Kim Kwang-seok’s songs or vice versa. The laughter cues that spread at just the right moments evoke bursts of laughter. The photo placed at the center seat, the ‘Kim Kwang-seok seat,’ watches these scenes with satisfaction.

[Photo by Insight Entertainment]

The musical is set against the backdrop of the Blue House, moving between 1992 and 2012. It tells the story of ‘Jeonghak,’ a Blue House security guard, who meets his free-spirited colleague ‘Muyeong’ and builds a friendship. Muyeong disappears along with a mysterious protection target, ‘her,’ and Jeonghak goes through misunderstandings and longing to face the truth. The story follows Jeonghak, the head of security who has kept the pain of an incident 20 years ago, as he coincidentally searches for the president’s daughter who disappeared on the same day 20 years later, uncovering the full story of that day. The performance presents that time and space with a panoramic view.

As a jukebox musical, Kim Kwang-seok’s songs amplify the fun of the play. The lyrics, which perfectly capture the situations, combined with familiar melodies, reach the hearts of the audience. Songs like “Now it’s a new beginning, dreams of youth (Letter from a Private),” “Don’t think too deeply, memories should be forgotten like that (Don’t Think Too Deeply),” “I want to stay by your side when you’re tired, but I have to leave, though I loved you (I Loved You),” and “I want to meet the forgotten dreams again, writing a letter to the cloudy autumn sky (Writing a Letter to the Cloudy Autumn Sky)” vividly revive memories blurred by the dust of time.

[Photo by Insight Entertainment]

In the play, the rookie security guard Sang-gu plays the role of comic relief brilliantly. It is no exaggeration to say that 80% of the big laughs come from him. In a crisis where he clumsily causes trouble and is forced to take off his clothes, he sings the heartfelt “Is this the end? (Kim Kwang-jin - Letter),” and in a scene where he struggles with the president’s daughter ‘Yeong-ae’ (a respectful term for a superior’s daughter), he sings “Because I still don’t understand you (Wait for Me),” eliciting laughter. The comical lament song ‘Unhappiness’ has also been included again after six years since 2017.

[Photo by Insight Entertainment]

Many audience members who visited the theater carrying longing for Kim Kwang-seok confessed that they recalled Kim Kwang-seok in the character ‘Muyeong,’ the Blue House security guard in the play. In fact, director Jang Yoo-jung explained, “Muyeong was another name for Kim Kwang-seok, who left us at a young age,” adding, “When creating the character Muyeong (無影), like an elusive fog or a shadowless figure, I always thought of him. It contains a heartfelt feeling for a person who passed away prematurely and was not protected.”

The musical portrays painful love, farewell, and friendship blossoming in a bleak era with a light-hearted sensibility and humor that is not overly light, leaving a deep impression. The performance runs at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center until September 3.