[PREVIEW] Musical: "Tears of Heaven"

Cast of musical "Tears of Heaven" pose during a rehearsal session open to the press at the Namsan Changjak (Creativity) Center in Seoul, South Korea on January 10, 2011. [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

The hands of numerous photographers started to move about busily as Kim Junsu and Lee Hye-ri, who had sworn to love each other till eternity, slowly leaned in toward each other’s lips. But if the kissing scene was what drew the most camera flashes during the rehearsal of musical “Tears of Heaven,” a tragic love story between a Korean soldier Jun (played by Kim Junsu, Jung Sang-yoon and Jeon Dong-suk) and a Vietnamese female singer Lyn (played by Yoon Gong-joo, Lee Hye-ri) set in Vietnam in the 70s, American musical actor Brad Little, who had been idly wandering around the rehearsing room, was the one who received the most enthusiastic applause. Little, whose passionate yet elaborate acting in his previous works such as “Phantom of the Opera” and “Dr. Jekyll and Hyde” has won him fans even in Korea, took the role of American Colonel Grayson who is so in love with Lyn that he ends up becoming the obstacle between the two young lovers. Little’s performance of his song “Without Her,” containing the anger and loss he feels over having to let Lyn go, was enough to move the hearts of the audience in the rehearsing room without a single stage set.

The rehearsing session at Namsan Changjak (Creativity) Center which was revealed to the press on January 10, showed off Little’s charisma along with the great energy displayed by ensembles which showed the perfect balance of restraining their movements while portraying the chaotic atmosphere of “Ominous Feelings Falling Like Rain.” In contrast, Kim Junsu who showed somewhat unstable vocalization and acting, seems to be in much need of practice for the remaining period. After all, he is the male lead who will play his character up against Little's. Just like the gunfire that once overwhelmed the streets of Saigon, will this musical be able to overpower the stage? The musical will premiere in Main Hall “Hae” of the National Theater of Korea on February 1.

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Reporter : Choi Ji-Eun five@, Lee Ga-on
Photographer : Lee Jin-hyuk eleven@
Editor : Heidi Kim heidikim@, Jang Kyung-Jin three@