Category: From The Korean Musical Stage

The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 457

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

As I continue my remembrance of G.O’s impressive portrayal of Prince Ho Dong in 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds], I turn today’s Fan-Camming Friday cam to one of his more sublime moments in the musical both as a vocalist and actor. When we meet Ho Dong for the first time, his mother Queen Yeon, has already passed away leaving him vulnerable and alone. Yet in a scene that is perhaps a dream or a vision, Ho Dong and Yeon sing together. For me, the two of them singing together was one of the truly poignant moments in the show. And vocally, it was astounding.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 456

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

Taking this journey back to The Kingdom of the Winds has flooded my heart with emotion. It is the poignancy of G.O’s performance that calls me back over and over again to revisit the moments he spent on the Seoul Arts Center stage. Today I am offering a Vocal Virtuosity moment, but not from the stage. I choose the moment G.O and his co-star from the musical, Go Young Bin visited the Culture Bookmark show, talked about the musical, and performed the haunting 무휼과 호동의 노래 [Muhyul and Hodong’s Song].

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 455

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

By the end of Act One in 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds], it was clear that young and gentle Prince Hodong was resolved in his heart and mind to follow in his father’s footsteps, declaring not only to his protective and wise spirit animal the phoenix, Byungari, but to himself, that he could be the king his father wanted him to be.  But his phoenix knew Hodong better and what was more important, Byungari knew the dangers and treachery within the kingdom and how unsafe it was for Hodong. She also knew that in his heart he doubted his ability to rule a kingdom. Still, Hodong rebelled against the phoenix and began to emulate his father’s warrior nature. Today’s G.O One Shot comes in .gif form of the young prince making it known to his questioning spirit animal that he will be the warrior king his father wants him to be.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 454

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

I loved all of 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds] from the music to the costumery, to the incredible visuals, music, and the story itself (even though it was sad). It was a feast for all of the senses. And that G.O was a part of it made it even more magical. But I think one of my favorite things about the show was the element of fantasy and the fact that there were spirit animal protectorates for the King and Prince. Even sweeter was the fact that Ho Dong’s protectorate was a phoenix, who although similar in age to the young prince with a playful child-like nature, was still full of strength and wisdom. Today, a Playful G.O moment from the musical stage between Prince Ho Dong and his 병아리.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 453

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

It was very fortunate that there was so much buzz around the revival of 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds] which actually kind of amazes me since it had its first run in 2006, and remained relevant and popular eight years later. It is a fascinating story that weds history with mysticism and fantasy during turbulent and violent times when unstable kingdoms were breeding grounds for war, betrayal and tragedy. I have mentioned often (but I am SO proud of G.O for being a part of this magical musical), that the 2014 production was particularly special because of G.O being cast as the vulnerable Prince Hodong. Today, in keeping with my celebration of Kingdom, a short musical stage moment captured during early press previews.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 452

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

As I was so very enchanted by G.O’s performance in Seopyeonje while in Seoul back in April 2014, I almost missed the announcement of him being single-cast in the role of Prince Hodong in 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds]. Admittedly, I was so focused on G.O’s musical of the moment and it wasn’t until I returned home that it hit me how hard he was working as rehearsals for Kingdom began while Seopyeonje was still running and, even more important, while he still had a number of remaining performances. Still, the buzz of G.O being the first artist from Korean popular music to be cast in the demanding role of Prince Hodong, and the first to perform with the prestigious Seoul Arts Group, was electric.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 451

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

Remember when the press sat in on one of the rehearsals for 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds] and we all were able to watch G.O begin to bring the sweet, playful Prince Hodong to life? At the time, I had no idea what the story was about, but watching G.O begin to absorb the persona of the cherubic prince was exciting and magical.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 450

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

On 11 May 2014, G.O stepped into the role of the gentle and innocent Prince Hodong in 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds] for the first performance of the show’s run, marking another first: this was the first time an artist from Korean popular music had set foot on the Seoul Arts Center stage with the prestigious Seoul Arts Group in a musical theater production. I recall waiting for the pics and cams – but more importantly, wanted to hear about his performance which of course grew accolades from his adoring A+ in the audience that evening. I want to celebrate that night of firsts for G.O with a short fan cam of his first curtain call on the Seoul Arts Center stage that evening.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 449

~ Michele ~ 2 Comments

It was three years ago this very day when G.O would once again step upon the Korean musical theater stage and make history by way of his poignant portrayal of the young and innocent Prince Ho Dong in the Seoul Arts production of 바람의나라 [The Kingdom of the Winds]. Inasmuch as I truly feel his role as Dong Ho in Seopyeonje was the pivotal moment in his career that made fans and critics alike sit up and take notice of his ability to command an important role in a masterpiece musical, his work in Kingdom sealed it. For today’s G.O One Shot, I honor him on the anniversary of his first performance as the delicate Ho Dong.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 444

~ Michele ~ Leave a comment

One of my favorite things about doing this countdown series is that I get to revisit G.O’s musicals over and over. Every time he steps onto a stage to sing, it is magical. This is true. But that magic has been magnified for me in three very distinct instances: his time on the Immortal Song 2 stage, his time on the King of Mask Singer stage and especially, his time on the musical stage. Each of those moments G.O spent on any one of those stages constitutes a Vocal Virtuosity moment. And there are many to choose from. Today, a very short clip from Gwanghwamun Sonata. Ah…but even in the brevity of one stanza, a Lee Young Hoon ballad surrounded by G.O’s honeyed vocals is a soothing symphony to the ears.

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