French author Victor Hugo is best known for “Les Miserables,” a literary masterpiece that has been adapted into various forms including a film and a stage musical. What is little known here is that he wrote a series of extremely enjoyable plays that defy many conventional rules of a theater play. One such work will get its first Korean premiere this week by the award-winning original French production. The Theatre National de Toulouse production of “Mille Francs de recompense (A Reward of 1,000

PerformanceOct. 23, 2014

LONDON (AP) ― How do you follow in the footsteps of Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles without sinking in the footsteps of Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles? The answer, for Annie Lennox at least, is to throw out, to the greatest degree possible, the work of these giants and tackle some of their classics anew: no use of their phrasing, their arrangements, their orchestral sheets allowed.The former Eurythmics star sat down ― slowly and deliberately ― with songs like “Mood Indigo” and “Georgia on My Mind”

PerformanceOct. 23, 2014

After performing in Korea for the first time at the 2006 Incheon Pentaport Rock festival, American folk-pop star Jason Mraz is making his way back to Korea next month, marking the start of his seventh concert performance in the country in eight years. Mraz is slated to hold his first nationwide acoustic concert tour here, where he will be performing in Daejeon and Daegu for the first time, before concluding his tour with two performances in Seoul. However, unlike in the past when the singer held

Oct. 23, 2014

When she is standing before you, in the still eye of the pop-culture hurricane she has inhabited for several years now, you realize Lena Dunham is just like any young woman who fusses with her hair, loves her sister and can’t resist cheese.But then you hear the steady hum of a sold-out crowd just beyond the door; notice the table stacked with signed copies of Dunham’s new book, “Not That Kind of Girl,” for which she was reportedly paid $3 million; and hear her mention a visit to the Facebook cam

BooksOct. 23, 2014

For a country as closed and intimidating as North Korea is, the number of memoirs by people who briefly lived there is surprisingly large ― at least one a year since 2000, according to a list by the Seoul-based website NK News.The books fall into two categories. In the first are those by authors who clearly wish to be allowed back. They pay little mind to the absence of basic freedoms for North Koreans and dismiss the restrictions they experience themselves. They are not alone: A sizable number

BooksOct. 23, 2014

Gray MountainBy John Grisham (Doubleday)John Grisham has been writing legal thrillers and dramas that resonate with readers for almost 25 years, and his latest continues the theme of ordinary people who work in the law profession experiencing a crisis of conscience. Sometimes following the letter of the law might not feel morally just, and that conflict within the person having to confront the issue head-on has propelled Grisham to the top of the best-seller lists and made him a household name.

BooksOct. 23, 2014

SuperstormBy Kathryn Miles (Dutton)It’s been a weak hurricane season in the Atlantic so far, with little to worry U.S. coastal residents, but any forecaster will tell you: It only takes one storm to make a bad year. In 2012, that one storm was Superstorm Sandy, a hurricane that grew larger even as it lost its tropical characteristics and combined with an early winter storm and blast of arctic air. The “Frankenstorm” slammed the mid-Atlantic coast with a devastating storm surge, causing an estima

BooksOct. 23, 2014

Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of HollywoodBy William J. Mann (HarperCollins)There’s nothing like a whodunit. It’s even better if it’s a true life one with a believable solution. The result is pure catnip to mystery readers.In the hands of William J. Mann, the murder of film director William Desmond Taylor in 1922 comes alive again in “Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood.”Taylor was a perfect gentleman and a director loved by many in the film i

BooksOct. 23, 2014

Skink ― No SurrenderBy Carl Hiaasen (Knopf)Incisive social commentary akin to Jonathan Swift’s, wrapped in a sly wit and capitalizing on the “only in Florida” goings-on have won Carl Hiaasen legions of fans. And his ability to write the kind of books that appeal to children won him a Newberry Award.Now Hiaasen smoothly transitions his writing to appeal to readers ages 12 and up with “Skink ― No Surrender,” his first young adult novel.“Skink” rightly doesn’t have some of the very adult situations

BooksOct. 23, 2014

This is the first in a weekly series that examine the expanding role of design as the run up to the Herald Design Forum 2014 on Nov. 26. -- Ed.The Herald Design Forum 2014, a celebration of creativity and innovation in design, will explore the changes that design will bring to life in its fourth edition in November.Under the title “Design Spectrum, Expanding the Definition of Design,” the forum, organized by Herald Corp., will discuss the influences of design in various fields, including archite

Arts & DesignOct. 22, 2014

Japanese architect Toyo Ito speaks at the Herald Design Forum in 2013. Herald Design ForumHerald Design Forum has established itself as one of Korea’s leading platforms to discuss design.The forum has shed light on the growing role of design in contemporary life since it was first held in 2011. The significance of design has been stressed by a number of key figures in design from around the world. It is the speaker lineups of world-leading designers that put the forum on the map.In 2012, the for

Arts & DesignOct. 22, 2014

Greta (played by Keira Knighley) follows her singer-songwriter boyfriend Dave (played by rock band Maroon 5’s frontman Adam Levine) to New York. As soon as Dave lands a deal with a major record label, he strays away from her. Heartbroken Greta takes to singing at a bar, where she meets former music producer Dan (played by Mark Ruffalo), and they decide to make music together busking around the city. This is how the musical film “Begin Again” unfolds. The story sounds banal, but the movie has gai

FilmOct. 22, 2014

Kenn Viselman, an American marketer who turned children’s TV series “Teletubbies” and “Thomas the Tank Engine” into megahits, is up for a new project after his much-hyped big-screen venture bombed at the U.S. box office in 2012. This time, he will give toddlers an inquisitive bunny, Sunny Tunny, and a mischievous cat-dog hybrid, Lady LuLu, to love and will present them a world that merges the strengths of two cultures ― Korea and America. Why Korea? Viselman is partnering with an obscure animati

TelevisionOct. 22, 2014

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) ― Neil Diamond wrote and recorded his first studio album of new material in six years floating in the heady glow of new love.The 73-year-old entertainer, who married for the third time in 2012, says happiness with his new bride fueled his work on “Melody Road,” out Tuesday.“There’s no better inspiration or motivation for work than being in love. It’s what you dream of as a creative person,” Diamond said in a recent interview. “I was able to complete this album ― st

PerformanceOct. 22, 2014

In his first full-length album return in four years, R&B veteran Bobby Kim overcomes personal struggles and reflects on his past. The new album, “Mirror,” was released on Wednesday. Marking his first full album release since his third album, “Heart & Soul” (2010), the singer admits that the past four years had their shares of ups and downs, and that on his new album he wanted to encompass these experiences through music. “I chose to title the album ‘Mirror’ because it actually had a lot of meani

Oct. 22, 2014