'Notre-Dame de Paris' Viewers Angry Over Meager Compensation

Multiple Sound Interruptions Caused Temporary Suspension at Final Performance on the 5th
Organizer Refunds 10% of Payment... Encore Show Offers 20% Coupon

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The inadequate response of the organizer of the mega musical, which experienced multiple performance accidents, is becoming a topic of discussion.

On the evening of the 5th at 6 PM, the final performance of the French original Notre-Dame de Paris Seoul tour was held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Grand Theater in Seoul. This musical recorded a 99% paid seat occupancy rate over three weeks, and all 2,100 seats were sold out on this day as well.

However, an accident occurred starting from Act 1, "Palace of Miracles." When an actor climbed a structure and sang a refreshing high note, the sound system began to cut out, and the performance was temporarily halted during "The Name of Phoebus." There was another sound cut during the Act 1 finale, "O Destiny." In total, three sound accidents occurred in Act 1 alone. After Act 1, a performance official said, "Thank you for your understanding. The technical inspection has been completed, so please enjoy Act 2," but accidents continued in Act 2 as well. The acrobatic bell scene in "The Bells of the Cathedral" was not properly staged. Normally, the acrobatic performance swinging while hanging on the bell should have proceeded, but the dancers sensed something wrong and got down from the bell. Additionally, two to three lighting issues were reported.

After the performance ended without any apology, about 30 audience members gathered at the ticket booth to protest. The organizer stated that they would hold an internal meeting and take follow-up measures according to the standards of the Consumer Protection Agency and the Fair Trade Commission. On the afternoon of the 23rd, 18 days after the performance, Mast Entertainment, which organized the show, notified that they would refund 10% of the ticket payment amount and provide a 20% discount coupon for the encore performance. The reason given was that "this does not fall under the Fair Trade Commission’s consumer dispute resolution standards, and if referred to the Korea Consumer Agency’s dispute mediation committee, it would take about a year."

The audience responded with disbelief. Mr. Jung Jae-hyun (34, pseudonym) said, "I didn’t get to see a proper performance, so why would I want to watch the encore?" and added, "This irresponsible compensation makes me furious." Previously, in 2015, the same performance experienced multiple sound accidents. At that time, a re-viewing the next day was offered as compensation.

A representative from Mast Entertainment explained, "After reviewing various compensation standards, although this case does not meet the criteria, we have prepared a moral compensation plan for the audience who could not fully enjoy the performance. So far, 80% of the total audience has applied for compensation," and added, "Unlike in 2015, the performance was not interrupted for more than 30 minutes, so it is not appropriate to compare the two cases." They also said, "We will thoroughly prepare to prevent such stage accidents in the upcoming performances in other regions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.