“Until a few years ago, there was skepticism about whether South Korea could do it. During the COVID era, when theaters around the world were shut down, South Korea was the only country that continued to stage performances. Once the world became aware of this, the atmosphere began to change. I thought the time had finally come.”
In early 2021, Kim Ji-won, 50, vice president of EMK Musical Company, was in an online meeting with their American partner, MTI, which holds the intellectual property (IP) rights for over 400 Broadway musicals, including “Sister Act,” widely known for its original movie starring Whoopi Goldberg. Kim boldly proposed, “How about South Korea take the lead in producing the ‘Sister Act’ Asia tour? What do you think about flipping the script?” The meeting participants, seemingly taken aback at first, gradually started nodding. “That makes sense. Why haven’t we thought of that before?”
Even the renowned major production companies typically produce a maximum of two or three large theater musicals a year, but EMK Musical Company staged nine in the last year alone and plans to bring eight to the big stage in the first half of this year alone. In the 2022 musical box office top 10, “The Man Who Laughs” ranked first, “Elisabeth” second, “Mata Hari” ninth, and for 2023, “Rebecca” was second, “Beethoven” third, and “Ben-Hur” 10th, all of which were EMK productions. Starting with “small license” musicals, which involved buying only the scripts and music and then creating new stages and costumes, similar to importing raw materials and exporting finished products in processed trade, EMK also steadily produced original musicals such as “Excalibur” and “Frida,” building up know-how. Still, acquiring the performance rights for Broadway musicals to stage tours not only in South Korea but also in other Asian countries was a challenge of a different level. Kim, who oversees EMK’s international business, had confidence for a specific reason.
“In 2017, we hosted the international tour of ‘Sister Act’ in South Korea. I expected a much better performance, but it felt optimized to lower costs and make it easy to pack up and move around,” said Kim. “I was convinced that we could produce it much more efficiently, at a lower cost, and better.” Domestic musical performances are already at the world’s highest level. The quality of actors and stages in Asia tour productions, primarily organized by Australian production companies, often falls short of meeting the elevated expectations of our audiences. This realization led to a decisive moment: “If that’s the case, let’s just make it ourselves!” Eum Hong-hyeon, the CEO who started from scratch and built EMK with his bare hands, supported this new challenge.
Kim traveled to New York in 2022 to finalize Asia’s publication rights and participated in auditions held at Broadway during March and April. Over 2000 individuals applied, with more than 50 renowned actors, including Broadway’s leading performers, auditioning for the role of Deloris.
Despite a smooth start, the process was one long whirl of challenges, including casting. “I researched about all actors who reached the final audition stage and made all decisions by myself from start to finish,” Kim said, reflecting on the arduous three-month casting process. However, unexpected challenges were waiting, requiring Kim to adapt to how things work in “Broadway.” “One actor requested education on DIE (Diversity, Inclusion, Equality) for all involved, while others asked for a psychology counselor to accompany them. I also had to consider the racial makeup of the actor.”
Ultimately, Nicole Vanessa Ortiz, who starred in “Sister Act” at the Paper Mill Playhouse in 2022, reprised the leading role Deloris, while Mary Gutzi, known for her role in Broadway’s Les Misérables, joined as Mother Superior.
The performances in Busan and Seoul didn’t quite live up to expectations. However, 2,000-seat international touring theaters in Tokyo and Osaka requested a month-long tour for July, accelerating their original plans for a Japan premiere. “They also wanted other touring shows by EMK. So I said, ‘Tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen!” Kim plans to work with other Asian cities, including Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
The demand for licensing exports has been considerable. The all-female Takarazuka Opera Company acquired the license for EMK’s original Korean musical for the first time in its 109-year history. Regarding the musical “Marie Antoinette,” EMK initially purchased the license from the Japanese media giant Toho. However, EMK overhauled the production and resold the new version to Japan.
“There’s still more to come,” Kim said, explaining their plans for a full-length showcase of the musical “Frida” in Los Angeles six months later. “If license export and production of Asia tour were risk-minimizing ways to enter overseas market, we are now focusing on entering the U.S. market directly. We are confident that the musical depicting the life of Mexican national painter Frida Kahlo holds significant potential for success, particularly among the Latino population in the western United States.”
