Theater

“The Three Musketeers”: Based on Alexandre Dumas’ novel, “The Three Musketeers,” the musical rendition of the classic tale has returned to the Seoul stage. Revolving around the adventures of D’Artagnan and the three courageous musketeers ― Athos, Porthos and Aramis, the musical stars Kai, B1A4’s CNU and Sandeul, Kang Tae-eul and Park Sung-Hwan. The production will be staged until Sunday at the D Cube Arts Center in Seoul. Tickets range from 60,000 won to 110,000 won. For more information, call (02) 764-7867. 

“Sweeney Todd, The Musical”: The gruesome tale of a man filled with vengeance, the musical tale of the demon barber of Fleet Street is hitting the Seoul stage. Sweeney Todd follows the life of Benjamin Barker, who, after being wrongfully accused of a crime, takes his vengeance on the people of London by murdering the patrons of his barbershop. Starring Ock Joo-hyun, Cho Seung-woo, Yang Jun-mo and Jeon Mi-do, the musical will be staged at the Charlotte Theater in Songpa-gu until Oct. 3. Ticket prices range from 60,000 won to 140,000 won. For more information, call 1588-5212. 

“Wicked”: The Korean version of the top grossing musical on Broadway for 12 years, “Wicked” is returning to the musical stage this summer. The production tells the untold stories of the witches of Oz with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. This year’s cast will include Cha Ji Yeon, Park Hye-na, Jeong Sun-ah and IVY. The musical will be staged from July 12 to Aug. 28 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater. Ticket prices range from 60,000 won to 140,000 won. For more information, call 1577-3363. 

“Sleeping Beauty”: Hailed as one of the U.K.’s most popular and successful choreographers and directors, Matthew Bourne will show his critically acclaimed “gothic romance” dance reinterpretation of the classic fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty,” for the first time in Korea this summer. Combining dance, cabaret and circus elements with the music of Tchaikovsky, Bourne has reinvented the traditional tale of good vs. evil with a gothic twist. The performance will be staged until July 3 at the LG Arts Center in Seoul. Ticket prices range from 40,000 won to 130,000 won. For more information, visit www.lgart.com. 

“Notre Dame de Paris”: Set in the backdrop of 1482 Paris, Notre Dame de Paris,” follows the life of a young and irresistibly beautiful gypsy girl named Esmeralda. Her allure and charm captures the hearts of countless men, including Quasimodo -- a hunchback harshly crowned as the ugliest man in all of Paris -- and the sinfully sly and soon-to-be-married Phoebus, leading to a spiral of painful drama. The Korean remake of this musical classic will be staged at the Blue Square in Hannam-dong this summer from June 16 to Aug. 21 and will star K-pop ballad king K.Will and Yoon Gong-ju. Ticket prices range from 60,000 won to 140,000 won. For more information, call (02) 541-6236.

“Newsies”: Inspired by the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City, Disney Theatrical Productions’ “Newsies” has hit the Seoul stage. Starring On Ju-hwan, Suh Kyeong-su, Lee Jae-gyun and Kang Sung-wook, the musical is a two-time Tony Award winner for best choreography and best original score and received a Grammy nomination for best musical theater album in 2012. “Newsies” will be held at the Chungmu Art Hall until July 3, with ticket prices ranging from 50,000 won to 130,000 won. For more information, call (02) 1588-5212.

Exhibitions

“Middle of Nowhere”: Salon de H will be presenting a solo exhibition of artist Woo Kuk-won from July 7 to Aug. 12. The artist’s paintings, which appear to be random scribbles and spontaneous texts, are results of the artist’s exploration of his inner mind. His desire for freedom is portrayed in the “Bluebird” and “Somewhere” presents ideas on his bucket list as well as his hope and longing. For more information, visit www.salondeh.com. 

“Big: Kids and Design”: More than 200 pieces of 20th-century vintage furniture designed for children by renowned designers are on view at Kumho Museum of Art until Sept. 11. The exhibition sheds light on the point in the 20th century when specific needs of children started to be considered in designing furniture. It also introduces chairs, tables, toys and other objects created by leading designers of the period such as Peter Keler, Luigi Colani, Jean Prouve and Renate Muller whose designs are intended to stimulate children’s creativity and imagination. For more information, visit www.kumhomuseum.com. 

“Artspectrum 2016”: Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, is holding its biennial exhibition that introduces emerging young Korean artists until Aug. 7. The exhibition features some 40 works of art across diverse mediums such as painting, photography, video and installation. It explores a variety of topics ranging from personal accounts to Korea’s modern history. The exhibition attempts to show the expanding boundaries of art by combining graphic design, statistics and sound. For more information, visit www.leeum.org or call (02) 2014-6901. 

Lee Jung-seob: The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is presenting a solo exhibition of Korean art master Lee Jung-seob to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth. The exhibition showcases some 200 paintings and 100 pieces of related documents on loan from some 60 museums and collectors, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Divided into major periods of his artistic career in the 1930s to ’40s, the exhibition guides viewers through Lee’s tumultuous personal life and the early modern history of Korea. The Lee Jung-seob exhibition runs until Oct. 3 at the MMCA’s Deoksugung Palace museum. For more information, visit www.mmca.go.kr. 

“Three Jewels: Buddhist Art of Korea”: Ho-Am Art Museum is holding an exhibition that highlights Korean Buddhist art until Nov. 6. The exhibition, which is divided into three sections, presents Buddhist paintings, sculptures and craftworks that portray teachings and lives of two major subjects of worship in Korean Buddhism -- the Sakyamuni Buddha and Amitabha Buddha. The museum, located near Everland, operates a shuttle bus from the Everland ticket office to the museum every hour from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are priced at 4,000 won for adults and 3,000 for teenagers. For more information, visit www.hoammuseum.org.

Dance

“KNCDC-Theatre de Liege Collaboration Nativos”: Korea National Contemporary Dance Company and Ruda asbl & Theatre de Liege will premiere “Navitos” at the Seoul Arts Center Jayu Theater from July 15-17. “Navitos,” choreographed by Ayelen Parolin and Marc Iglesias, repetitively presents certain movements, along with a traditional percussionist presenting shamanic tones.
The performing team will also kick off its world tour from Nov. 15 to Dec. 8, visiting France, Belgium, and Italy. The performance begins at 8 p.m. on Friday and at 3 p.m. on weekends. Tickets range from 20,000 won to 30,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr or ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 3472-1420 or (02) 6196-1616.

“Giselle: A Death-defying Love Story”: Universal Ballet will kick off a local tour with “Giselle” at the Chungmu Arts Hall from Aug. 12-14. “Giselle,” choreographed by Jean Coralli and Marius Petipa, is a romantic ballet in two acts which premiered at Universal Arts Center (previously Little Angels Art Hall) in 1985. The ballet depicts a tragic love story of a peasant girl Giselle trying to save her lover from a group of supernatural women despite his betrayal.
The performance will begin at 8 p.m. on weekdays and at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends. The ballet company will perform in Gunpo from Aug. 19-20 and in Suwon from Sep. 23-24.
Tickets range from 20,000 won to 80,000 won and can be reserved at ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 2230-6600.

“Fairy Tale Ballet: Cinderella”: Wise Ballet Theater’s “Fairy tale ballet: Cinderella” will take place at Art Hall Mac, Mapo Arts Center from July 8-9. The performance is based on a fairy tale “Cinderella,” which tells the story of a girl who has been abused by her stepmother and stepsisters falling in love with a prince with the help of a fairy. The ballet company, formed in 2005 with the goal of popularizing classical ballet, has provided great opportunities for the family with children by presenting “Family ballet” and “Fairy tale ballet.”
The performance will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday and at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets range from 30,000 won to 50,000 won and can be reserved at ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 3274-8600

“The 22nd ChangMu Performing Arts Festival”: The festival will take place from June 29 to July 10 at the ARKO Arts Theater Main Hall.
The festival consists of three parts along with the opening ceremony and finale. The June 29 opening ceremony will feature gala performances including Kim Woon-tae’s Chaesang Sogo Dance and Spanish trio SAI’s performance. Each part of the festival will feature two to three performances, encompassing various genres from traditional Korean dance to contemporary one. Part 1 will take place July 1-2, part 2 on July 5, and part 3 July 7-8. Performances begin at 8 p.m. on weekdays and at 5 p.m. on weekends. Tickets range from 20,000 won to 50,000 won and can be reserved at www.koreapac.kr or ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 337-5961.

Pop Music

“Mamamoo –- Moosical”: Girl group Mamamoo is holding a concert at Olympic Park’s Olympic Hall in Seoul on Aug. 13-14. The four-member girl group is known for its powerful vocals, funky melodies and spunky personalities. The group debuted in 2014 with the song “Mr. Ambiguous.” Recent hits include “Um Oh Ah Yeh” and “You’re the Best.” All tickets are priced at 99,000 won and can be reserved at ticket.interpark.com. 

“Kim Yeon-woo -- Thank You”: Balladeer Kim Yeon-woo is holding a concert at 6 p.m. on Aug. 6 at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul’s Olympic Park. Kim, a singer, vocal coach and professor at Seoul Art College is known for his smooth voice and the ability to hit high notes flawlessly. Ticket prices range from 77,000 won to 143,000 won. Tickets can be reserved at ticket.interpark.com. 

“Beck”: Grammy Award-winning musician Beck is holding a concert at the Olympic Park Olympic Hall on July 21 as part of Hyundai Card’s Culture Project. Beck is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist who rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental musical collages. His music encompasses folk, funk, soul, hiphop, alternative rock, and country. Tickets range in price from 115,000 won to 165,000 won and can be reserved at ticket.interpark.com. 

“2016 Jisan Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival”: The seventh installation of Korea’s signature rock music festivals is taking place July 22-24 at the Jisan Forest Resort in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. This year’s lineup will feature world-class acts like Red Hot Chili Peppers, the iconic American rock band set to return with its 11th album in June; Russian-German DJ Zedd; and English electronic duo Disclosure. Local indie-rock acts Kiha & the Faces, Guckkasten, Hyukoh and others will be performing as well. 
Tickets range from 136,000 won to 221,000 won and can be reserved at ticket.interpark.com.

Classical Music

“Sumi Jo -- My Songs”: World-class soprano Sumi Jo will hold a concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of her international debut performance at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall at 5 p.m. on Aug. 28. Jo first appeared in the international scene as the prima donna in Verdi’s three-act opera “Rigoletto” at the Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi in Italy on Oct. 26, 1986. The program will feature songs from well-known operas, including “Caro Nome” from “Rigoletto,” along with Korean songs, and pianist Jeff Cohen will accompany the performance.
Tickets range from 50,000 won to 150,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr or ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 3461-0976.

“Kim Sun-wook Piano Recital”: Kim Sun-wook will hold a piano recital at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall at 8 p.m. on July 20. Kim earned international recognition when he won the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2006 at the age of 18, becoming the first Asian winner and the youngest winner of the competition in 40 years. The program will feature Mozart’s Fantasia in D Minor, K. 397, Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 18 in G Major, Op. 78, D. 894, and Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, Op. 120.
Tickets range from 30,000 won to 90,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr and ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 599-5743.

“Ditto Festival: Ensemble Ditto Season 10 -- The Revolutionary”: Ensemble Ditto will hold a concert as part of the Ditto Festival 2016 at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall at 8 p.m. on June 28. Ditto Festival, featuring rising stars as well as virtuoso musicians, is presenting seven concerts under the theme of challenging the limit. The program will feature Arvo Part’s Spiegel im Spiegel, Carlo Gesualdo’s Moro, lasso, al mio duolo, Leos Janacek’s String Quartet No. 1 “Kreutzer Sonata,” and Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B-flat, Op. 97 “Archduke,” as a tribute to the great composers who left revolutionary marks on the history of classical music.
Tickets range from 30,000 won to 100,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr or ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call 1577-5266 or visit www.dittofest.com.

“Murakami Haruki Meets Miyazaki Hayao”: Yangpyeong Philharmonic Orchestra will present classical music running through Haruki Murakami’s novels and sound tracks of Hayao Miyazaki’s animation films. The program will feature classical music which inspired Murakami’s novels including Mozart’s Le Nozze Di Figaro K.492 - Overture and Brahms’s Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op.98 and sound tracks of Miyazaki’s animations including “One Summer’s Day,” “Merry-Go-Round of Live,” and “My Neighbor Totoro (Ending Theme).”
The concert will take place at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall at 5 p.m. on July 3. Tickets range from 20,000 won to 45,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr or ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 2658-3546.