The Goddess Is Watching
🟥 Korean Original
Korean Premiere
2013: Chungmu Arts Hall, Stage Blue, Seoul
International Runs
2025: The Other Palace Studio, London (Planned)
Posters included are either from my personal collection or embedded solely for documentary and educational purposes.
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1. Overview
The Goddess Is Watching (여신님이 보고 계셔) is an award-winning Korean original musical set during the Korean War. It follows a group of South and North Korean soldiers stranded on a deserted island after a failed prisoner transport mission. To help a traumatized comrade recover, the men invent a divine figure — a “goddess” — and begin performing rituals of faith and hope. Through this shared illusion, they rediscover compassion, sanity, and the will to survive.
Developed through CJ Cultural Foundation’s Creative Minds program (2011) and winner of multiple awards including Seoul Musical Festival’s Grand Prize (2012) and the Korean Musical Awards’ Book Prize (2013), the musical has become a modern classic of Korean theatre. It is beloved for its lyrical score, ensemble storytelling, and humanistic portrayal of reconciliation amid war.
2. London Showcase (2025)
The musical will make its London debut through an industry-facing showcase at The Other Palace Studio on 6 November 2025, presented in collaboration with James Hadley, Executive Director of Musical Theatre Network (MTN).
This special reading will be co-produced by In-Soo Yu (Yeonwoo Theater) and Jun-Young Kim (ILOVESTAGE). Colm O’Regan, Music Director of The Book of Mormon (West End), joins the project as Music Director — marking a rare early collaboration between a West End creative and a Korean musical in development for UK audiences.
The event will include a 90-minute performance followed by a panel discussion featuring leading UK producers, directors, and investors, examining how The Goddess Is Watching can resonate with international audiences in the post-Maybe Happy Ending era of global K-musical interest.
3. Creative Team (Korea)
Book: Han Jung-seok
Music & Lyrics: Lee Sun-young
Producers (London Showcase): In-Soo Yu, Jun-Young Kim
Music Director (London Showcase): Colm O’Regan
4. Critical Context
Since its premiere, The Goddess Is Watching has been praised for transforming a wartime survival story into a spiritual allegory. The work juxtaposes brutality and belief, evoking both the absurdity of war and the resilience of human empathy.
📙References
📚 Part of a historical archive of Korean musicals performed abroad — from landmark revivals to upcoming premieres in the U.S. and U.K.
Video Clips & Media Highlights
This section provides visual context for Korean musicals staged or developed abroad — including productions, showcases, interviews, and media features. English or subtitled clips are included where available. For works with clear Korean origins (e.g. Maybe Happy Ending, The Last Empress, L’art Reste), videos highlight cultural roots or adaptations.