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엄마를 부탁해
Please Look After Mom (엄마를 부탁해) is a musical adaptation of Shin Kyung-sook’s bestselling novel, exploring maternal sacrifice and family introspection through the disappearance of a mother.
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SOURCE
novel
SETTING
Korea
BOOK
adaptation
Productions in Korea
2011.05 🔴 Chungmu Arts Center Grand Theater (Seoul)
🔴 = Large-scale production
SYNOPSIS
(Full Synopsis)
Set in contemporary Korea, the musical unfolds around a family searching for their missing mother, uncovering long-overlooked truths about her life and their own.
The story begins at Seoul Station, where a mother goes missing in the crowd. As days pass without any trace, her family—children and husband—desperately search for her, posting notices and retracing her steps.
Through the search, each family member begins to recall memories of the mother they thought they knew. These recollections gradually reveal a deeper, more complex individual—one who silently endured illness, hardship, and emotional neglect while devoting herself entirely to her family.
As the family pieces together fragments of her life, they confront their own indifference and self-centeredness. They come to realize that they had taken her presence for granted, valuing her only in relation to their own needs.
The narrative ultimately becomes a reflection on motherhood, loss, and regret, emphasizing the universal realization that the mother, long seen as a constant, is also a person who needed care, understanding, and love.
PRODUCTION NOTE
The musical is based on the bestselling novel by Shin Kyung-sook, which was previously adapted into a successful stage play before becoming a musical in 2011. Directed by Koo Tae-hwan with music by Kim Hyung-seok, the production emphasizes emotional realism and familial themes. It builds upon the cultural impact of the original novel, which sold over 1.5 million copies and became a defining work in contemporary Korean literature.
REFERENCES
Synopsis Sources
PlayDB – Please Look After Mom
https://m.playdb.co.kr/Play/Detail/22007
Articles & Reviews
Yonhap News – Musical Adaptation
https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20110315090500005
Epicurus – Review
http://www.epicurus.kr/Others_Review/390204
KBS News – Culture Segment
https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/pc/view/view.do?ncd=2287309
MK Culture – Column
https://www.mk.co.kr/news/columnists/4920739
NoCut News – Adaptation Article
https://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/813187
Financial Today – Feature
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