SYNOPSIS

It tells the story of two friends, Doris and Brandon from New Orleans — two ghosts who once auditioned for Broadway shows for two years and finally got ensemble jobs in The Phantom of the Opera on the very day they died in a fire. Since then, they have haunted Apartment #0528, driving away every would-be tenant.

One day, a young man named Eggy rents the place for fifty dollars a week — a tenth of the usual rate — and soon discovers its supernatural residents. Eggy obtains a talisman from the real-estate agent that allows him to control the ghosts’ movements, and the trio strike a peculiar bargain: the ghosts will train him to win an ensemble role in a musical, after which he will move out and leave them in peace.

Eggy’s progress is slow. He freezes on stage during an audition just when he has begun to improve. He later confides his trauma of being bullied to Brandon, who proves more sympathetic than Doris. With their help, Eggy regains confidence, performs better, and finally secures an ensemble job in a Musical — all while helping the ghosts settle their unfinished business. Doris longs to hear his mother’s voice once more, while Brandon hides the guilt of having accidentally caused the fire.

When the truth emerges, Doris becomes furious, and Brandon, overwhelmed with guilt, steps into the portal to hell — a fireplace grate. In remorse, he follows, and Eggy jumps in after them. In the underworld, the three reconcile and persuade the gatekeeper to let them return home. When they safely return, a portal to heaven — a refrigerator — opens, yet they choose to remain in the apartment, devoting themselves to training future musical hopefuls.


REVIEW

#0528 is an ambitious Chinese musical now licensed for performance in Korea. The Korean production was staged at Link Art Center Dream as a mid-scale musical (approximately 350 seats) set in an apartment overlooking a collage of New York landmarks, including the Empire State Building and Times Square. Three male characters—Doris, Brandon, and Eggy—lead the story.

The music incorporated pop, country, and light polka rhythms alongside larger-scale songs for all three characters. Some lyrics were sung in English while most remained in Korean, retaining the melodic lines of the Chinese original. The score was cheerful and accessible, and the audience responded with open laughter and applause throughout, showing an unusually free atmosphere for a Korean musical audience.

This engagement marks the second licensed import of a Chinese musical into Korea, giving it historical significance for both theatre industries. The original Chinese staging appears to have been immersive, with the audience seated around multiple environments such as the apartment and subway. In contrast, the Korean version adopted a proscenium layout with shifting backdrops depicting day and night views of New York, fire sequences, subway scenes, and the descent into the underworld—all rendered effectively through projection and lighting.

Humor played a central role and was received warmly. The sensitive and artistic Doris and the sympathetic Brandon guided the pure-hearted, ambitious Eggy toward his Broadway debut, forming a trio defined by warmth and camaraderie. The production reflected a tone of gentle optimism often associated with contemporary Chinese comedies, highlighting friendship and perseverance.

Admiration for Broadway formed the show’s main theme. The audition sequence included brief musical phrases recalling Rent, Chicago, The Lion King, and The Phantom of the Opera, while the backdrop displayed playful misspellings such as “Rant,” “Sichago,” and “Wickid.” The initial “S” in “Sichago” was even colored differently from the rest of the letters.

Eggy rents the haunted apartment for fifty dollars per week, while a normal one-bedroom unit in mid-Manhattan is said to cost six hundred per week—a figure that felt more comic than realistic, especially within a world that also shows modern smartphones. The contrast between these rates contributed to the production’s humorous tone.

#0528 also referenced The Phantom of the Opera directly, featuring a wall poster with the familiar mask and rose and describing the ghosts’ ensemble audition for the show. At one point, Eggy rehearses Shakespeare’s “To be, or not to be, that is the question,” and sings it as part of his preparation for an audition in Hamlet: The Musical.

Despite its proscenium format, the staging encouraged audience participation—actors distributed flyers and exchanged brief dialogue with spectators. As the Chinese musical presented in Korean language, the production offered a light-hearted introduction to Chinese musical theatre and demonstrated the performers’ visible enjoyment on stage. The sense of shared fun between cast and audience became one of its most memorable qualities.