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2021
HOPE
Hope: The Unread Book and Life (호프 : 읽히지 않은 책과 읽히지 않은 인생) is a Korean original musical inspired by the real lawsuit over Franz Kafka’s unpublished manuscripts, following Eva Hope’s 30-year legal battle for ownership. Since its 2019 premiere, it has been licensed for Japanese productions in 2021 and 2024, marking its gradual expansion into the international market.
English:
Hope
Korean:
호프
Country: Japan | Language: Japanese
🔗 All images are linked to their original sources or articles. No copyright ownership is claimed.
ORIGIN
The musical premiered in 2019 at Arko Arts Theater in Seoul, created by writer-lyricist Kang Nam and composer Kim Hyo-eun, directed by Lupina Oh and produced by R&D Works. It was developed from a student graduation project into a mid-scale commercial production, using the lawsuit over Kafka’s posthumous manuscripts as a structural frame for a time-shifting character study. The work dramatizes Eva Hope’s life across 70 years, blending courtroom realism with theatrical memory and the personification of the unpublished manuscript as the character K. Its debut received critical recognition for its narrative construction and won multiple awards during its early run.
STORY
Eva Hope, now 78 years old, has spent three decades fighting the National Library of Israel in court over the ownership of an unpublished manuscript left by the writer Joseph Klein. The manuscript, embodied onstage as the character K, becomes both a burden and a life companion as Eva recalls her childhood, wartime displacement, and the lineage of people who protected the papers before her. Moving between past and present, the musical explores how a single object can define identity, inheritance, memory, and survival. Through shifting roles, the ensemble portrays judges, soldiers, family members, and witnesses, weaving together the private cost of history and the public weight of cultural ownership.
POSTER COLLECTION
Poster images are shown for documentation only. All rights belong to the original creators and producers.
KOREAN RUNS
2019 premiere, R&D Works
Recurred in 2020–2021 and 2023 (three seasons total)
GLOBAL STAGINGS & ADAPTATIONS
Japan, 2021
The first licensed Japanese-language production opened in Tokyo in October 2021 with a full local cast and creative team, retaining the courtroom structure and dual-timeline narrative of the Korean original. Staged under COVID-19 audience restrictions, the production was also livestreamed, helping establish the musical’s viability in Japan and building an initial fan base for future seasons.
Japan, 2024
A new licensed revival began with preview performances at Tokorozawa Sakura Town in March 2024, followed by runs at Umeda Arts Theater in Osaka and I’M A SHOW in Tokyo. The staging preserved the Korean production’s core concept, including dual casting for K and the separation of past and present Eva, while incorporating a Japanese staff and fuller orchestration. The strong response confirmed the title as a repeatable export property in the Japanese market.
REFERENCES
NamuWiki – musical overview
Instagram cast post – Japan 2021 closing announcement
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVNwwphFwEp/
Spice Japan – Japan 2024 production report
https://spice.eplus.jp/articles/327255
Official Japan 2024 site
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