K-POP On Broadway - P/reviews & News Thread- Page 4

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/13/22 at 8:37am

Broadway fan base is growing in South Korea. Back in spring/summer 2020 I think the only musical performing in the world was the Phantom world tour in Seoul.

Perhaps the big picture plan for this musical is to go to South Korea and have a successful run there after Broadway.

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/13/22 at 8:45am

I’m going to the first preview tonight courtesy of TDF. Will report back

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/13/22 at 9:14am

Same!!! I’ll be there tonight as well!

Im hoping they kept “Mute Bird” song. Below is YouTube video as performed at Drama Desk awards by Ashley Park as MwE:

 

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 10/13/22 at 5:18pm

I was really excited for this (not a K-pop fan per se but I am a K-drama fan and there is a lot of overlap) but those video previews have made me less so. I do like the two songs Ashley Park sang, so hopefully those are still in! 

[Alessio2]

Posted: 10/13/22 at 8:39pm

This sounded super fun and I was looking forward to it until I watched the sneak peak 9 minute long video on BroadwayWorld.  I am honestly shocked any producer would show 3 full musical numbers, all of them horrible.  Everyone sounds terrible, the choreography is basic and poorly executed....yikes!

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 10/13/22 at 11:04pm

ok anyone go tonight? what is LITERALLY the story of the show now, they keep calling it a concert on their social media so I would love clarification of whats going on here

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/13/22 at 11:59pm

Okay, so here’s the tea.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The story seems to use a documentary/behind-the-scenes filming of three K-Pop acts as a framing device to tell their stories.

One story revolves around Luna’s character, as she gets her start in KPOP in age 9 after being abandoned by her family and taken in by a washed-up KPOP star who controls her whole career (and her), up until she finds love - only to abandon her love to stay a musical star. It’s very “Gypsy”.

Another involves a biracial kid named Brad (Zachary Noah Piser), who was born and raised in the U.S, but is later signed to a boy band in Korea as a replacement for another fired singer. His arc revolves around his struggle between his independent artistry and becoming part of the group identity.

The last plot, which is admittedly thin, involves a girl group who is a backup to Luna’s character and how they all look up to her, but grow weary of not having had a big break despite 10 years of hard work, which causes discord

I’ll give a full review in the morning

Updated On: 10/13/22 at 11:59 PM

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 12:18am

My friends and I had a great time!!! The show was roughly 2.5 hours with 1 intermission. I recall on off-bway it was closer to 3 hours.

During intermission, we agreed the feel was different from its off-bway version.  They did use most of the same songs, including the 2 MwE songs that I’ve posted on here this past week (Mute Bird and Phoenix.) They kept parts of the commentary element and humanized the Kpop stars.

I loved how they integrated “Mute Bird” in this Broadway version compared to its off-bway version. My mind is still processing the whole experience and am glad I have tix later in its run to see how this show evolves/improves before opening on Nov 20th!

Luna really impressed me. I knew she can sing and dance but she can act as well. It was great to see a new musical on Broadway heavily featuring actors of Asian descent.
 

 

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 12:21am

SporkGoddess said: "I was really excited for this (not a K-pop fan per se but I am a K-drama fan and there is a lot of overlap) but those video previews have made me less so. I do like the two songs Ashley Park sang, so hopefully those are still in!"

I’m not a fan of the marketing we’ve seen thus far as well and yes, both Ashley Park songs were kept —— and I actually think the way they integrated “Mute Bird” was better in this Broadway version!!! I hope you get to see the show at some point. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 8:25am

Now that I’ve had some sleep and time to process, I have to say that KPOP is an assault all senses in the best way.

Normally, I don’t laud shows that rely heavily on their production elements over the book/score, but here, the set, lighting, and sound design are of great service to the flashy and stimulating (though ultimately mechanical) environment that K-Pop is known for. They make GREAT use of the space for sure, and it feels very immersive. I don’t think the Circle in the Square has ever felt so large to me before. Special credit to the choreography, which was TIGHT and SYNCHRONIZED within an inch of its life. You could tell that they have been rehearsing that non-stop for a while. I hesitate to say that it even beats the kinetic energy and showmanship of MJ.

I mentioned the premise in another post, so I won’t reiterate it all here, except that it uses the filming a “Behind The Music”-style documentary as a framing device for the stories of three K-Pop acts. Here is where the show needs to be tightened and fixed a bit since it can be easy to lose the narrative thread given how they rotate between the acts. This is not helped by the fact that roughly half of the show is spoken or sung in Korean with no supertitles, so the use of context is relied upon heavily.

In terms of performance, the cast is uniformly excellent, but the standouts are Luna, who is not only a magnificent singer and dancer, but also one heck of an actress, and Zachary Noah Piser, who has a great character arc, but also one heck of a voice himself, especially during his Act I number, “Halfway”.

I’m pretty sure the Tonys would go ape over this show if it opened in April, but I’m not entirely sure what the audience will look like since this reminds me very much of “A Strange Loop” - a daringly new show that explores stories that most don’t/won’t understand, and gives the footlights to those stories to be told. I’ll be interested to see how it plays out over the next few months.

[JoeW4]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 9:21am

Would love to hear someone describe the structure of the book!

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 12:31pm

These reviews are giving me serotonin. Are there physical sets, or is it just projections? Also, do they sound winded like they did at the preview performance?

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 1:29pm

quizking101 said: " Normally, I don’t laud shows that rely heavily on their production elements over the book/score, but here, the set, lighting, and sound design are of great service to the flashy and stimulating (though ultimately mechanical) environment that K-Pop is known for... I hesitate to say that it even beats the kinetic energy and showmanship of MJ.

 it can be easy to lose the narrative thread given how they rotate between the acts. This is not helped by the fact that roughly half of the show is spoken or sung in Korean with no supertitles, so the use of context is relied upon heavily.

this reminds me very much of “A Strange Loop” - a daringly new show that explores stories that most don’t/won’t understand, and gives the footlights to those stories to be told. I’ll be interested to see how it plays out over the next few months."

Now  I have a few questions! Are the production elements just not that well displayed on the press previews? They looked so tacky in those, however if it is set up to be a tech heavy show and looks better in real life that's understandable. Second, let's say somebody used a closed captioning ADA device. Would the subtitles be in English or Korean? There is a way to subtitle shows, it's just a disability access feature upon request for those HOH. Third, would ASL or Fun Home be a better thing to compare this to? Considering Fun Home was also a small show in CITS exploring a generally not common topic, but did very well because of the theatre size, while A Strange Loop (although being a show I LOVE, just like Fun Home) is sputtering out of it's Tony win to a close with a similarly uncommon topic, does anybody believe this show will end up finding its audience or get lost in all of the other great things coming for the 2022-2023 season?

 

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 2:12pm

dearalanaaaa said: "quizking101 said: "Normally, I don’t laud shows that rely heavily on their production elements over the book/score, but here, the set, lighting, and sound design are of great service to the flashy and stimulating (though ultimately mechanical) environment that K-Pop is known for... I hesitate to say that it even beats the kinetic energy and showmanship of MJ.

it can be easy to lose the narrative thread given how they rotate between the acts. This is not helped by the fact that roughly half of the show is spoken or sung in Korean with no supertitles, so the use of context is relied upon heavily.

this reminds me very much of “A Strange Loop” - a daringly new show that explores stories that most don’t/won’t understand, and gives the footlights to those stories to be told. I’ll be interested to see how it plays out over the next few months."

Now I have a few questions! Are the production elements just not that well displayed on the press previews? They looked so tacky in those, however if it is set up to be a tech heavy show and looks better in real life that's understandable. Second, let's say somebody used a closed captioning ADA device. Would the subtitles be in English or Korean? There is a way to subtitle shows, it's just a disability access feature upon request for those HOH. Third, would ASL or Fun Home be a better thing to compare this to? Considering Fun Home was also a small show in CITS exploring a generally not common topic, but did very well because of the theatre size, while A Strange Loop (although being a show I LOVE, just like Fun Home) is sputtering out of it's Tony win to a close with a similarly uncommon topic, does anybody believe this show will end up finding its audience or get lost in all of the other great things coming for the 2022-2023 season?

"

1) The press previews don’t do it Justice. It is SUPER tech heavy and so it’s not going to play the best on camera. Think about all those new digital marquees and how it’s hard to photograph them. This is a design that’s meant to be seen LIVE!

2) Can’t speak to that. I saw a booth for assisted listening devices but I don’t know what the caption situation is.

3) Its only been one preview but the sales look dire. Fun Home also had the benefit of transferring to Broadway almost immediately after an off Broadway run. Both ASL and KPOP had pregnant pauses in their transfers abated by the pandemic and so momentum was lost. My bet right now is that it will run until January. It’s not a show that looks cheap to run at all, and when the lowest non-discount tickets are $100, you are gonna hit a wall with the bridge-and-tunnel crowd (who, based on looking around at last nights crowd, seemed unimpressed)

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 3:22pm

wow this just seems like an absolute mess 

[Ensemble1665759202]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 3:57pm

The preview last night was spectacular - probably the most fun I've ever had at a Broadway show! It looked nothing like the videos posted online in person. Will share full thoughts soon!

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 4:18pm

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "wow this just seems like an absolute mess"

In what ways, since all of the reactions I’ve seen about last night’s preview are very positive? Is it that Broadway and Broadway audiences don’t know how to get excited about an original, nontraditional show featuring an Asian cast playing 21st-century people? Is it that people haven’t figured out how to market a show with an Asian cast to people who just want them in another production of The King and I and not sing a genre of music that has taken over the globe? I mean, I haven’t figured that one out either, even though I’ve been raving about the show to people since I saw it at Ars Nova. Audiences are so quick to judge something they don’t quite understand, especially if it’s something that truly needs to be experienced live and a video promo doesn’t do it justice. Let’s champion this show and others that don’t fit the mold. It’s so rare to have something so unique on Broadway, and it’s courageous for producers to take the chance, especially in this climate. And congrats to the talent who have finally made it to Broadway, including renowned composers Helen Park and Max Vernon.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 4:20pm

For those who went last night, where would you recommend sitting? 

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 4:29pm

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "wow this just seems like an absolute mess"

**In my Real Housewives of Atlanta voice** 
Who said that? 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 5:00pm

From stuff I've seen on socials, the show looks really cool! I'd say the word of mouth got me! 

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 5:29pm

HeyMrMusic said: "For those who went last night, where would you recommend sitting?"

Pretty much anywhere is fine depending on how deep into the action you want to be. 

For those who are skeptical, even if you don’t end up liking the story, the music slaps so hard that you could end up thinking about it as a night at the club (since you’d likely be spending the same amount of time and money anyway)

[DCS]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 6:51pm

Ensemble1665759202 said: "The preview last night was spectacular - probably the most fun I've ever had at a Broadway show! It looked nothing like the videos posted online in person. Will share full thoughts soon!"

So says the shill who just joined the board today!  I can't wait to hear their "objective" opinion 

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 8:48pm

It seems people love the show so far. I'm going next week with "withoutatrace"---I cannot wait. LUNA is amazing.

[Fan123]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 9:09pm

Is the documentary film framing device, presented as an industry-controlled project designed to be a sanitised puff piece, or a project seeking to acknowledge some of the darker aspects of the industry, with or without the industry's cooperation? I imagine either approach could work.

Either way, there could be an opportunity for some interesting marketing if they released some short clips of "documentary footage", such as supposed interview snippets with the stars while in character, perhaps under the watchful eye of their manager/publicist/whomever.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 10/14/22 at 10:09pm

Ensemble1665759202 said: "The preview last night was spectacular - probably the most fun I've ever had at a Broadway show! It looked nothing like the videos posted online in person. Will share full thoughts soon!"

A friend of ours said it was way better off-broadway with Ashley Park and Jason Tam.