2020
阿波罗尼亚
Mia Famiglia (미아 파밀리아) is a compact Korean original musical that turns a 1930s New York mafia bar into a meta theatre piece, and has become one of Korea’s most frequently exported small-cast titles. In China it is performed in Chinese as Apollonia (阿波罗尼亚), running as an immersive resident production since 2020 and continuing through multiple renewed seasons.
English:
Mia Famiglia
Korean:
미아 파밀리아
Country: China | Language: Chinese
🔗 All images are linked to their original sources or articles. No copyright ownership is claimed.
ORIGIN
Mia Famiglia (미아 파밀리아) is an original Korean musical written and composed by Lee Hee-jun (book and lyrics) and Park Hyun-sook (music). It premiered in Seoul on October 15, 2013 at Chungmu Art Hall Small Theater Blue, produced by MJStarfish. In 2019 the rights were transferred to HONGcompany, which has continued to revive the work. The title means “My Family” in Italian and is often shortened to “Mia.” Designed for three or four actors playing multiple roles, the piece layers a closing-night bar story with a staged mafia autobiography, mixing vaudeville, comedy, and noir sentiment.
STORY
During the Great Depression, the Apollonia Inn & Bar in Little Italy faces its final night before being seized by the mafia. Two vaudeville performers, Richard and Oscar, plan to stage their usual repertory piece, but a mafia soldier interrupts and demands they perform the boss’s life story, Mia Famiglia, that same evening. The show constantly switches between three layers: the real bar, the mafia biography they are forced to enact, and a romantic repertory melodrama titled The Legend of the Brooklyn Bridge. As the lines between acting and reality blur, the characters confront fading dreams, loyalty, and the question of what survives when the stage goes dark.
POSTER COLLECTION
Poster images are shown for documentation only. All rights belong to the original creators and producers.
KOREAN RUNS
The musical premiered in 2013 at Chungmu Art Hall Small Theater Blue, produced by MJStarfish, and ran from October 15, 2013 to January 15, 2014.
The show has since recurred in multiple commercial revivals, including productions in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2022 festival engagement, and a fifth run scheduled for 2024–2025 under Hong Company.
GLOBAL STAGINGS & ADAPTATIONS
China – Shanghai & Guangzhou (2020–present)
Licensed Chinese-language adaptation – Apollonia (《阿波罗尼亚》)
Premiered Aug 28, 2020 at Star Space No.1 in Shanghai, produced by FocusStage (一台好戏) and marketed as China’s first open-run staging of a Korean musical in a fixed indoor venue. Presented in an immersive bar-theatre layout with spectators seated around a central counter while actors perform in close proximity. The production has continued through multiple renewed seasons, including a 2022 proscenium version and a resident run in Guangzhou in 2023. By 2024 it remains one of Shanghai’s highest-selling small-scale licensed musicals, frequently selling out weekend performances.
REFERENCES
NamuWiki – Overview of Korean production history (Korean)
https://namu.wiki/w/%EB%AF%B8%EC%95%84%20%ED%8C%8C%EB%B0%80%EB%A6%AC%EC%95%84
Yonhap News (CN) – “韩国原创音乐剧《阿波罗尼亚》将在上海首演” (Chinese article announcing 2020 Shanghai premiere)
https://cn.yna.co.kr/view/ACK20200818003900881
CGTN – “Chinese musicals fight for bigger slice of international pie” (Section on Apollonia, 2024)
Sohu – Guangzhou resident run of Apollonia reported, Oct 11, 2023 (Chinese)
https://www.sohu.com/a/726521682_121462356
Shanghai Bendibao – Ticketing and performance info for 2024 Shanghai run (Chinese)
