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Hope
호프
Official English Title
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SOURCE
history
SETTING
Foreign
BOOK
original
A woman guards an unread manuscript
Korean Premiere
2019
Korean Premiere Theatre
Arko Arts Theater, Seoul
Further Korean run reference:
https://namu.wiki/w/%ED%98%B8%ED%94%84:%20%EC%9D%BD%ED%9E%88%EC%A7%80%20%EC%95%8A%EC%9D%80%20%EC%B1%85%EA%B3%BC%20%EC%9D%BD%ED%9E%88%EC%A7%80%20%EC%95%8A%EC%9D%80%20%EC%9D%B8%EC%83%9D
The Musical search cue — “호프 뮤지컬”
Summary
Inspired by the battle over Kafka’s manuscripts, Eva Hope clings to an unread archive while confronting ownership, memory, and a life that has never been fully heard.
Origin & Development
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Eva Hope’s life across 70 years, blending courtroom realism with theatrical memory and the personification of the unpublished manuscript as the character K. Its debut received critical recognition for its narrative construction and won multiple awards during its early run. 2019 premiere, R&D Works. Recurred in 2020–2021 and 2023 (three seasons total).
Partial Synopsis
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now 78 years old, has spent three decades fighting the National Library of Israel in court over the ownership of an unpublished manuscript left by the writer Joseph Klein.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.
HOPE
2021
2021-10-01
to
2021-10-17
Country:
Japan
City:
Tokyo
Production Type:
Licensed
Language:
Japanese
Venue:
Honda Theater
The first licensed Japanese production, with a full local cast and creative team, kept the courtroom structure and dual-timeline narrative of the Korean original. Staged under COVID-19 audience restrictions, it was also livestreamed, establishing the musical's viability in Japan and building a fan base for future seasons.
HOPE
2024
2024-03-16
to
2024-03-31
Country:
Japan
City:
Multiple Cities
Production Type:
Licensed
Language:
Japanese
Venue:
Multiple Venues
A new revival that began with previews at Tokorozawa Sakura Town, followed by runs at Umeda Arts Theater in Osaka and I’M A SHOW in Tokyo. It preserved the Korean production’s core concept, including dual casting for K and separate performers for past and present Eva, while adding a Japanese staff and fuller orchestration.
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