2007
王的假人·孔吉
Gong Gil Jeon (공길전) is a large-scale original Korean musical based on the award-winning play Eul (爾), the same source material later adapted into the hit film The King and the Clown (왕의 남자). Premiered in 2007 by Seoul Arts Troupe, the production was later performed in Beijing as part of an official Korea–China cultural exchange program.
English:
Gong Gil Jeon
Korean:
공길전
Country: China | Language: Korean
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ORIGIN
Gonggil-jeon was created by playwright and director Kim Tae-woong and produced by the Seoul Arts Troupe as part of the 2007 Cultural Korean Wave initiative. The musical is adapted from Kim’s own stage play Eul (爾), which received multiple theater awards and later inspired the record-breaking film The King and the Clown. The production team included Lee Yun-taek as script supervisor and artistic consultant, and composer Kang Sang-gu, winner of the Korea Musical Awards. The show premiered at Chungmu Art Center in 2007, aiming to merge Korean traditional performance forms with modern musical staging.
STORY
The musical depicts the lives of clowns (gwangdae) in late-Joseon society, focusing on their freedom, marginalization, and tragic fate under political authority. The narrative blends satire, dance, percussion, and theatrical ritual, presenting a stylized world of shifting power, loyalty, and artistic resistance. The tone is both lively and mournful, using traditional folk rhythms and contemporary musical scoring to explore the duality of laughter and suffering.
POSTER COLLECTION
Poster images are shown for documentation only. All rights belong to the original creators and producers.
KOREAN RUNS
2007 – world premiere at Chungmu Art Center, produced by Seoul Arts TroupeDeveloped as an official large-scale original musical project under the Cultural Korean Wave campaignPraised for integrating traditional performance vocabulary into contemporary staging
GLOBAL STAGINGS & ADAPTATIONS
China, 2008
Korean-language revival – performances at the National Centre for the Performing Arts and additional cities
Following the Beijing engagement, the production was staged at the newly opened National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) and later in Shanghai and other major cities. Contemporary Chinese coverage highlighted the work’s hybrid musical form and its use of Korean traditional performance as a structural device. Additional confirmation of full tour itinerary and total performances is still being compiled.
REFERENCES
JoongAng Ilbo – report on staging concept and 100-minute format
https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/2895968
CRI China – audience response to Beijing performance
https://korean.cri.cn/1400/2007/12/26/1@112132.htm
Sina – description of cultural fusion and staging aesthetics
https://ent.sina.com.cn/j/p/2007-12-16/15131836678.shtml
Interpark – premiere production information
https://tickets.interpark.com/goods/07003658
Palace Musical show information
https://museum.seoul.go.kr/www/board/NR_boardView.do?bbsCd=1014&seq=00000000000000669&sso=ok
