Shin Chun-soo, CEO, said, “We aim to bring ‘Il Tenore’ to Broadway.”
Hong Kwang-ho won Best Leading Actor, and Will Aronson won the Best Composer Award.
The musical ‘Hadestown’ won the most awards including Best Music Director, achieving six wins.,
The original musical “Il Tenore” won the grand prize at the 9th Korean Musical Awards.,
On the evening of the 13th, the 9th Korean Musical Awards were held at the Universal Arts Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, hosted by musical actor Lee Geon-myung.,
The grand prize was awarded to “Il Tenore,” an original musical produced by OD Company.,
“Il Tenore” is set in Gyeongseong during the 1930s, during the Japanese colonial period, and tells the story of Yun I-seon, who dreams of becoming the first opera tenor in Korea. It portrays the youth chasing their dreams amidst a tragic and dark era through the story of Yun I-seon and two independence activists, Seo Jin-yeon and Lee Soo-han, preparing for an opera performance together.,
The work is inspired by the fact that Korea’s opera pioneer, Lee In-seon, was a medical student in the early 1940s who went to Italy to study opera. The story of Yun I-seon and his relationships with other characters are fictional creations.,
“Il Tenore” was praised for its balanced presentation of character growth and historical background, convincing portrayal of a naive character’s inner strength developing gradually. Composer Will Aronson, who majored in classical music during college, created fantastic opera arias. The arrangement of 12 out of 18 orchestra members as strings offered a delicate and rich melody.,
Shin Chun-soo, the CEO of OD Company, stated, “I want to share the honor with the creators, actors, and the supportive audience,” and expressed his desire to develop “Il Tenore” into a beloved piece that continues to be cherished for a long time. He received applause when he said, “I have a new goal to perform on Broadway with our language and actors, and ‘Il Tenore’ could be that work.”,
Hong Kwang-ho, who played Yun I-seon, won the Best Leading Actor Award. He expressed gratitude, saying, “Thank you for comforting and blessing me through this award. I’ve been performing musicals for 23 years,” and vowed to always perform with the mindset of a newcomer.,
Will Aronson also took home the Best Composition Award.,
Kim Soo-ha won Best Leading Actress for her role as Eurydice in “Hadestown.” She said, “‘Hadestown’ was like a gift at a tough time,” and expressed her gratitude, noting that performing in the show was a source of comfort.,
“Hadestown” captured six awards, including Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actress (Choi Jung-won), Best New Actor (Kim Min-seok), Best Arrangement and Music Director (Han Jeong-rim), Best Stage Arts (Director Lee Won-seok), and Best Producer (Sul Do-kwon and Shin Dong-won).,
“Come From Away” received Best Choreography (Hong Yu-seon) and Best Ensemble Awards, and “The Great Comet” won Best Supporting Actor (Go Eun-seong) and Best Stage Arts (Costume Designer Ahn Hyun-joo), each achieving two awards.,
The Best Production Award was given to “Dear Evan Hansen” for theaters with more than 400 seats, and for theaters with less than 400 seats, it went to the original musical “Hongryun.”,
Jeon Ha-young received the Best New Actress Award for “Jeobbyeon,” Lee Ji-young won the Best Director Award for “The Last Five Years,” Jang Woo-sung received the Best Playwright Award for “Island: 1933~2019,” and “Dinosaurs Are Alive” won the Best Children’s and Family Musical Award.,
The Lifetime Achievement Award was posthumously awarded to Lim Yeong-ung (1934-2024), the late representative of the theater company Sanwoolim. He was a significant figure in the Korean performing arts scene, having adapted the classical novel “Bae Bijang-jeon” into Korea’s first musical, “Salgage Opsaeye,” in 1966, and introducing Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” to Korea.,
The Audience Choice Award went to Han Eun-hee, who watched 110 musicals this year.,