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카페인

2013

カフェ・イン

Caffeine (카페인) is a two-hander Korean romantic comedy musical set in a café, built around the chemistry between a barista and a sommelier whose identities and intentions blur through mistaken messaging and role play. First staged in 2010, the show became a long-running small-theatre title in Korea and was exported once to Japan in 2013 for a Korean-language licensed run.

카페인

English:

Caffeine

Korean:

카페인

Country: Japan | Language Korean

🔗 All images are linked to their original sources or articles. No copyright ownership is claimed.

ORIGIN

2010, writer/director Song Jae-jung, composer Kim Hyo-geun, produced by Mizcom, premiered at Art One Theater 2, Seoul. Conceived as a compact, actor-driven musical (two actors, one set) combining screwball dialogue, modern pop-jazz music, and physical comedy, allowing for repeat casting and seasonal revivals in Daehangno.

STORY

Sejin, a café manager and barista unlucky in love, leaves daily anonymous messages on the shop’s “Love is…” board. Jimin, a sommelier who prefers wine over coffee, responds under a false name and begins a playful game of misdirection that turns into real attraction. Their flirtation unfolds through duets, comedic identity swaps, and musical numbers themed around caffeine, alcohol, and emotional dependence. The show builds to a confession scene that exposes both characters’ fears and desires, resolving in a romantic but self-aware ending.

POSTER COLLECTION

Poster images are shown for documentation only. All rights belong to the original creators and producers.

KOREAN RUNS

2010 – Premiere, Art One Theater 2, Seoul

Subsequently restaged multiple times in Daehangno through the 2010s as a recurring small-theatre romantic musical.

GLOBAL STAGINGS & ADAPTATIONS

Japan – Tokyo (2013)
Korean-language licensed production
Amuse Musical Theatre, Apr – May 2013
Staged under the title カフェ・イン ~Love is a lie?!~ with a full Korean cast and Japanese surtitles. Marketed as the opening production of Amuse Musical Theatre in Roppongi, positioned to introduce Korean original musicals to Japanese audiences through an intimate rom-com format.

REFERENCES

The Musical – Korean production listing

https://www.themusical.co.kr/Musical/Detail?num=1820

     

Okepi Press Call Report – 2013 Tokyo run

https://okepi.net/kangeki/275

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