2002
ギャンブラー
Gambler (갬블러) is a musical by Eric Woolfson that premiered in Germany in 1996 and was first produced in Korea in 1999 by Seensee Company. The Korean production later toured Japan in 2002 and 2005, becoming one of the earliest Korean musicals to travel abroad in full-scale performance.
English:
Gambler
Korean:
갬블러
Country: Japan | Language: Korean
🔗 All images are linked to their original sources or articles. No copyright ownership is claimed.
ORIGIN
Gambler is a musical composed and written by Eric Woolfson, best known as a founding member of The Alan Parsons Project. The world premiere took place in October 1996 in Mönchengladbach, Germany, where it ran for approximately 18 months. The Korean-language adaptation was first staged in 1999 by Seensee Company, marking the work’s first official staging outside Europe. The success of the Korean production led to multiple revivals, establishing the musical as an early example of Western works reinterpreted through Korean performance and casting.
STORY
Based on Alexander Pushkin’s short story The Queen of Spades, the musical follows a gambler, a showgirl, and a casino owner entangled in love, betrayal, and self-destruction. Set inside an imagined casino, the work portrays human ambition and collapse through rock-infused pop music and character-driven storytelling. The Korean premiere starred Huh Joon-ho and Nam Kyung-ju and was noted for balancing dramatic tension with mainstream musicality.
POSTER COLLECTION
Poster images are shown for documentation only. All rights belong to the original creators and producers.
KOREAN RUNS
1999 – first Korean-language production by Seensee Company
Multiple revivals during the early 2000s with rotating casts and revised orchestration
Received several awards for performance and staging in Korean musical award ceremonies
GLOBAL STAGINGS & ADAPTATIONS
Japan, 2002
Korean-language tour – presented by Min-On Concert Association
During the 2002 FIFA World Cup season, Gambler toured Japan as part of a Korean cultural envoy program. Press reports note that the tour ran from mid-May to late June across 13 cities, totaling around 30 performances. The Min-On Concert Association covered all production, travel, and accommodation costs, with an estimated investment of 2.5 billion KRW. The production featured signature numbers including “Time,” “Limelight,” “Games People Play,” and “Eye in the Sky,” and was received as a rare full-scale Korean musical touring Japan before the rise of the commercial Hallyu wave.
Japan, 2005
Korean-language tour – produced by Seensee Company
A second Japan tour followed in 2005, again featuring a Korean cast performing in Korean. Seoul Newspaper (May 17, 2005) reported that the tour adopted the same model as 2002, with multiple performances in Tokyo and additional cities. Archival sources confirming full venue list, performance count, and local presenting partners are currently being researched for completion.
REFERENCES
Eric Woolfson Music – official production history
https://www.ericwoolfsonmusic.com/gambler/home
JoongAng Ilbo – report on 2002 tour scale and investment
https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/54842
Seoul Newspaper – confirmation of 2005 Japan tour
https://www.seoul.co.kr/news/life/2005/05/17/20050517024002
Newstage – 1999 Korean premiere review
http://www.newstage.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=5464
Seensee Company – archived production history
https://www.iseensee.com/home/community/notice.aspx?mode=v&tab=3&bbsPage=134&IdArticle=6398
