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The Goddess Is Watching
여신님이 보고계셔
Official English Title
SOURCE
original
SETTING
Korea
BOOK
original
Soldiers invent a goddess to survive
Korean Premiere
2013
Korean Premiere Theatre
Chungmu Arts Hall, Stage Blue, Seoul
Further Korean run reference:
https://namu.wiki/w/%EC%97%AC%EC%8B%A0%EB%8B%98%EC%9D%B4%20%EB%B3%B4%EA%B3%A0%20%EA%B3%84%EC%85%94
The Musical search cue — “여신님이 보고계셔”
Summary
Stranded during the Korean War, South and North Korean soldiers invent a protective goddess to help a traumatized comrade recover and repair their escape vessel.
Origin & Development
Premiered in 2013 at Chungmu Arts Center Small Theater Blue, produced by Yonwoo Stage (later Yeonwoo Theater). The musical was first developed through CJ Creative Minds (2011) and selected as the Best Work at the 2012 Seoul Musical Festival reading program before its full staging.
Written and composed by Han Jeong-seok (book/lyrics) and Park Sang-joon (music), the work sets an intimate ensemble piece within an all-male wartime setting rather than a conventional war epic. It won Best Book at the 2013 Korea Musical Awards. South Korea (2013 premiere / Yonwoo Stage) — 2013.01.15–03.10. Followed by a 2013 revival (Art One Theater 1), a 2014 third run (Doosan Art Center Yeon-gang Hall), multiple re-runs throughout the 2010s, a 10th-anniversary season in 2022–2023, and a 2025 revival completed in March 2025. The musical remains a regular title in Seoul's small-theatre repertory.
Partial Synopsis
During the Korean War, six soldiers—four North Korean POWs, a South Korean officer, and his subordinate—are stranded on an uninhabited island after a transport ship malfunction. The only man capable of repairing the ship, the young POW Soon-ho, is mentally broken by trauma. To keep him calm, Captain Han Young-beom invents a story about a “goddess who watches over them,” which gradually becomes a shared belief system among the men. As the fragile “Goddess Operation” unfolds, the musical explores fear, dignity, fantasy as survival, and the thin line between enemy and companion.
女神様が見ている
2014
2014-09-20
to
2014-10-05
Country:
Japan
City:
Tokyo
Production Type:
Licensed
Language:
Korean
Venue:
Setagaya Public Theatre
Produced in collaboration with Amuse and Yonwoo Stage, with Cho Hyung-kyun, Jeon Sung-woo, Ryeowook, and Jin Sun-kyu in rotating roles. Reception highlighted a balance of tension and lyricism unusual for a war musical, and the production became an early case study of a small-scale Korean work succeeding in the Japanese market.
女神在看
2023
2023-06-09
to
2023-12-17
Country:
China
City:
Shanghai
Production Type:
Licensed
Language:
Chinese
Venue:
Multiple Venues
Directed by Park So-young and Shi Yijun with a full local cast, the production was marketed as a psychological human drama rather than a war piece, emphasizing trauma, survival, and imagined sanctuary. Douban reviewers cited its emotional clarity and ensemble staging.
The Goddess Is Watching
2025
2025-11-06
to
2025-11-06
Country:
United Kingdom
City:
London
Production Type:
Reading / Showcase
Language:
English
Venue:
The Other Palace
Co-produced by In-Soo Yu (Yeonwoo) and Jun-Young Kim (ILOVESTAGE) with Musical Theatre Network (UK), with music direction by Colm O'Regan, the 90-minute English-language showcase was followed by a discussion with UK producers about full West End development, placing the title in the wave of Korean works seeking English-language transfer after Maybe Happy Ending.
The Goddess Is Watching
2026
2026-10-12
to
2026-10-12
Country:
United Kingdom
City:
London
Production Type:
Reading / Showcase
Language:
English
Venue:
Charing Cross Theatre
The second and final UK development showcase, following the 2025 presentation at The Other Palace Studio, with the producers targeting a full UK production in 2027.
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