📚 Yangbanjeon (兩班傳) is a musical based on Park Jiwon’s satirical novel The Tale of a Korean Aristocrat (양반전). It premiered in Korea in 1986 and was later staged in five U.S. cities in 1987 as part of a formally invited tour organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Musical Company.

🌍 Performances were held in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, and Culver City, at venues such as LA’s America Music Center and other civic stages. The tour served as an act of cultural diplomacy in the lead-up to the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

⚖️ The musical explores class disparity and reconciliation, as a proud yangban (aristocrat) is humbled by an honest commoner.

👥 The U.S. tour featured over 60 performers, including members of the Seoul Municipal Dance & Music Company, and was reportedly invited to Japan in 1991. One article mentions a performance at the San Francisco Opera House, though this remains undocumented.

📺 A televised MBC news segment also covered the U.S. tour.

🚫🎥 No video clips or official recordings have been located as of now.


Note: The English title “The Tale of a Korean Aristocrat” is my own translation of the original Korean title 양반전, as no official English title has been confirmed. It reflects the satirical and allegorical nature of the original work by Park Jiwon (1737-1805).