In 2004, fresh off receiving a small award at work, I celebrated in the most extravagant way I could imagine: purchasing eight consecutive seats in the midsection for Jekyll & Hyde. That level of access would be nearly impossible today; even by 2005, the demand made such a feat unthinkable due to Cho Seung Woo’s soaring popularity. The entire group was excited, including my older son. My younger son, just old enough to be admitted, appeared thrilled at the time — though years later he confessed he had actually been frightened. (Not a very observant parent, I must admit.)
Back then, I even told my colleagues half-jokingly to take down all the work-related materials from the hallway and replace them with Cho Seung Woo’s image. We lived the musical with full passion — some of us old, some not.

Cho Seung Woo delivered an energetic, passionate performance as Jekyll and Hyde, and Sonya’s Lucy left a strong impression with her ringing, powerful voice. I even imagined at the time that her voice could have suited the role of Emma, but her Lucy was deep and soulful, revealing her inner desperation. “This Is the Moment” became a lasting memory, even among my colleagues who were not regular theatergoers. I vividly recall “The Confrontation” — Cho’s rapid shifts between characters were thrilling and, at the time, quite new to me.

I also remember Lucy’s bed, either pulled in or already placed, sitting on the right side of the stage with other set pieces still present — a detail from the simpler staging that has stayed in my mind.

That 2004 experience introduced me to the world of Korean musical theater at a professional level and sparked what would become a long-standing admiration for Cho Seung Woo as a musical actor.

Little did I know then that those vivid memories would one day bring me back to the same musical, twenty-one years later, with one of my now-grown children by my side.