A musical based on the tragic tale of French author Albert Camus’ “The Plague” combined with the sounds of legendary K-pop icon Seo Tai-ji, new local musical “Peste” is gearing up to hit the stage later this month.

To this day, Seo is widely considered an unparalleled iconic musician for his controversial and politically defiant lyrics that pushed the envelope and influence of the music industry throughout the 1990s in Korea.

“It took us six years to complete the script and we eventually came to the conclusion that Seo Tai-ji’s music would best encompass Peste’s dramatic story of solidarity and resilience,” said producer Song Kyung-ock, during a press conference held at the Di Nozze Convention center in Seoul on Thursday.

“One of the biggest challenges of this production was to adapt Seo Tai-ji’s songs to fit into a musical score, as well as selecting the songs that we felt best represented the story of this musical,” Song added.

Camus’ novel “The Plague” was published in 1947 and was based largely on the real-life events of the cholera epidemic that killed a large portion of Oran’s population in 1849.

The musical tells the horrifically graphic tales of the deadly plague that sweeps the Algerian coastal city. Featuring characters from all walks of life, including criminals, doctors and drifters, the story of the novel-based musical emphasizes the effects a plague has on place and questions the very nature of human survival and destiny.

“I think that the combination of Seo Tai-ji and Camus as a new musical genre will be both liberating and superb,” said the musical’s director, Noh Woo-sung.

“I truly do consider it destiny that the works of these two artists have finally been able to meet,” Noh added. 

The two-act production will feature 21 of Seo’s rap-rock singles, including “Take One,” “Human Dream,” “Live Wire” and “Coma.” The legendary K-pop idol songs will be reprised by an all-star musical cast including fellow legendary idol star Son Ho-young of g.o.d.

“Seo Tai-ji is a musician who I admire and I have been a fan of his music ever since I was a young kid,” said Son at the press conference. “Being able to transform his songs into a new musical and further blossoming the possibilities of his music is something that I am thrilled to be a part of and have been happily preparing for.” 

The production will also star Kim Da-hyeon, Park Eun-seok, Kim Do-hyun, Oh So-yeon, Linzy of Fiestar and Jeong-min of Boyfriend.

“Peste” will be staged from July 20 to Sept. 30 at the LG Arts Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Ticket prices range from 60,000 won ($52) to 140,000 won and can be purchased online at interpark.com.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)