📝 Background

Doctor Zhivago is a Broadway musical based on the 1957 novel by Boris Pasternak, with music by Lucy Simon, lyrics by Michael Korie and Amy Powers, and a book by Michael Weller. The narrative follows Yurii Zhivago, a poet-physician entangled in personal and political conflict during the Russian Revolution. The show transforms Pasternak’s sweeping novel into an intimate and romantic stage epic.

The musical premiered in 2006 at La Jolla Playhouse in California but did not transfer immediately to New York or London. After revisions, it debuted to wider acclaim in 2011 in Australia, where Korean producer Chunsoo Shin (신춘수) was credited among the international producing team. That production received several Helpmann Award nominations, establishing the show’s viability for further global development.

🌏 Korean Involvement

Korea played a pivotal role in the show’s international journey. Doctor Zhivago had its Korean premiere in 2012 at the Charlotte Theater in Seoul, ahead of its Broadway debut. Directed by Des McAnuff, the same director as the Australian and New York runs, the Korean production featured leading musical actors Cho Seung-woo, Hong Kwang-ho, Jeon Mi-do, and Kim Ji-woo. It was co-produced by OD Company and Lotte Entertainment, illustrating Korea’s capacity to stage licensed international works at scale.



The Broadway production finally opened in 2015 at the Broadway Theatre in New York, with Chunsoo Shin again credited as a producer. Although the show closed after a short run, it stands as a notable example of sustained Korean creative investment in large-scale Western musicals. Since then, Zhivago has been licensed for productions across Europe and Asia, with versions staged in Germany, Sweden, Finland, and China.