1. Overview

Crazy Bread is a Korean original musical developed by the creative collective Yellow Bomb, written by Hansol Kim and composed by Boram Han, with direction by Jungyoon Lee and music direction by Chi-young Kim.

The story follows four bakers preparing to open the whimsical bakery “Crazy Bread.” Each character shares their personal sorrows and transformations with the audience, gradually finding growth through the process. The audience, drawn directly into the narrative, is invited to confront their own unspoken emotions while watching the bakers’ journeys unfold.

2. Background and Development

The musical first appeared in Seoul at Emu Artspace in 2021, signaling the arrival of a new team of emerging creators with ties to New York’s theater scene. Writer Hansol Kim had previously penned Letters to You and Paris Bakery, focusing on everyday stories with quiet emotional resonance. Composer Boram Han, known for Song of the Sun, brought a contrasting palette of dramatic and lyrical music. With director Jungyoon Lee and music director Chi-young Kim, the team embarked on their third collaboration, combining intimate narratives with modern theatrical composition.

Crazy Bread did not originate from one of Korea’s major musical production houses, but was instead nurtured through government-backed export funding under the K-Musical International Market, which positions Korean works for international exposure.

3. International Performances

2022 – New York Reading

A first English reading/showcase was held in New York, giving the musical its earliest exposure abroad.

2023 – New York Workshop & Reading

Officially selected and funded by the K-Musical International Market for English development support, Crazy Bread was again staged in New York rather than London, as the team had stronger familiarity and collaborators there. Director Kenneth Ferrone led the workshop with a mixed Korean–American cast, including Broadway talents such as JJ Niemann and Morgan Dudley.

2025 – Memphis Production

The show received its first full English staging at TheatreSouth at First Congo in Memphis, Tennessee, from January 31 to February 2. Produced by Voices of the South in partnership with the South Korean Arts Council, the production featured local American actors, accompanied by keyboard, with minimal staging. Though small in scale, it marked the work’s first complete run in English.

4. Artistic Approach

Crazy Bread mixes satirical humor with surreal metaphor, using bread as a symbol for nourishment and societal pressure. Its staging is flexible, designed for portability across small theaters and workshops. In Memphis, the stripped-down production emphasized dialogue and song rather than visual spectacle, underlining the creators’ focus on translation, story clarity, and cross-cultural accessibility.

5. Reception

The New York workshops were shared mainly through social media and internal documentation, with no formal reviews. The Memphis run reached small community audiences but was praised locally as a unique cultural exchange project. Despite its modest footprint, the English translation was noted for its clarity and accessibility.