Lukewarm welcome for Lindsay Lohan stage debut

LONDON (AP) ― It wasn’t a car crash, but there weren’t fireworks, either. Critics gave a lukewarm welcome to Lindsay Lohan’s professional stage debut last week, which followed months of hype and speculation about whether the wayward star was up to the job. “Shock news: Lindsay Lohan can act a bit,” wrote Dominic Maxwell in The Times on Friday after the opening night of David Mamet’s Hollywood satire “Speed-the Plow.” The Guardian’s Michael Billington called Lohan’s performance “perfectly credita

Oct. 5, 2014

Marketplace for performing arts to open in Seoul

The Performing Arts Market in Seoul will run from Oct. 7-11 at the National Theater of Korea in Jangchung-dong, central Seoul.The annual event, organized by the state-run Korea Art Management Service, provides a marketplace for people in the performing arts industry to buy and sell performances, while exchanging resources and industry information. The festival aims to help diverse Korean shows advance to other countries, while enhancing a creative collaboration network among participants. “Marki

Sept. 30, 2014

Book festival returns to Paju

An annual literary festival will be held at Paju Book City in Gyeonggi Province, bringing over 500 writers from home and abroad to present and discuss a wide range of literary works. “Paju Booksori Festival,” marking its fourth year, will kick off this week from Oct. 3-12 for a 10-day run at different venues in Paju Book City, a cluster of some 260 Korean publishing houses in Paju. “Last year, in its third year, the festival was selected as a representative festival by the Ministry of Culture, S

Sept. 29, 2014

Change afoot in Pyongyang? In fashion, yes

PYONGYANG (AP) ― High heels, with sequins. Brightly colored, tight-fitting dresses. Hairstyles and makeup that are almost like what you would expect on streets of Beijing or Seoul. Something is definitely afoot in the style scene of North Korea’s capital. Most North Koreans remain too poor to think much about fashion, and the country in general maintains a deep-rooted resistance to outside influences. But in Pyongyang, where the standard of living is relatively high, clothes and styles have been

Sept. 28, 2014

A creature of habit

Writer Bae Su-ah is prone to carsickness and cannot travel to Seoul for the interview, I am told. So on the Friday afternoon before the long Chuseok holiday, I get on a bus to Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, for an hourlong ride, hoping that I can keep my nausea in check.Bae works at home and does not feel comfortable doing an interview there, so she has picked out a cafe to meet at. Upon arrival, I find it has been the venue for several previous interviews, recognizing the particular blinds from phot

Sept. 26, 2014

Calendar

ROYAL MUSIC AT NIGHT ― Musicians practice Jongmyo Jeryeak, the UNESCO-listed royal ancestral ritual music, at Jongmyo, a Confucian shrine for Joseon kings and queens in Seoul, on Thursday. The grandiose royal music will be performed at night from Sept. 26-28. (Yonhap)Classical musicChung Myung-whun piano recital: Maestro Chung Myung-whun will hold his first recital tour of Korea as a pianist, not as a conductor as he is widely known now, starting in Changwon on Oct. 5. He will play in Daegu on

Sept. 26, 2014

Seoul brims with art, culture and fun

In Korea, the arrival of fall is signaled by many things: cooler, dryer, but still pleasantly warm weather, the national Chuseok holiday, a bountiful harvest, and hikers flocking to mountains to take in the fall foliage. Marking the season, the nation’s capital is hosting a variety of fall festivals, offering its citizens and visitors a chance to indulge in music, arts, food, culture or just fun. In the performing arts scene, the buzz is all about the inaugural Korea Art Festival Autumn 2014 whi

Sept. 24, 2014

Terrariums can update indoor greenery

Easy-to-make miniature landscapes, or terrariums, make for interesting accessories in just about any room in your home. They seem fitting for all seasons of the year, but it’s during the colder months that the green is so welcome. It doesn’t take much time or money to fill your home with these tiny gems. Just follow these three easy steps and create terrariums to dress up your home or a friend’s home, make them as gifts and even sell them at fundraisers! Easy-to-make miniature landscapes, or ter

Sept. 24, 2014

[Herald Interview] Following the call of a creative mind

Musically, Steve Barakatt has little left to prove in Korea. The New Age composer and pianist from Quebec, Canada, is so adored by Koreans that he finds himself returning again and again to give concerts, collaborate with top local artists or just to meet fans. From “Rainbow Bridge,” one of his earliest hits from the late ’90s, to his 2011 work “He is from Seoul, She is from Pyongyang,” his music has gained popularity that not many other artists ― Korean or non-Korean ― have achieved here. “Rain

Sept. 23, 2014

‘Lion King’ sets musical box office record

NEW YORK (AP) ― Here’s something the folks at Disney can take real pride in: “The Lion King” is the top ticket of all time. With a worldwide gross of over $6.2 billion, “The Lion King” stage musical has now achieved the most successful box office total of any work in any media in entertainment history, The Associated Press has learned. The show quietly took over top spot from the $6 billion-earning “The Phantom of the Opera” late this summer, according to representatives from both shows. “Phanto

Sept. 23, 2014

‘Nutcracker’ set in desert

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) ― It’s danced to Tchaikovsky’s famous melody, but it’s not your traditional Christmas “Nutcracker”: the Joburg Ballet has set it in the Kalahari desert among ancient Bushmen paintings.The winter theme has been replaced with sun, sand and baobab trees.The role of the Sugar Plum Fairy is instead played by a sangoma or traditional healer, and the famous “Russian Dance” is performed in overalls and gumboots.“The Nutcracker Reimagined” comes with the original music and story line o

Sept. 22, 2014

Calendar

Exhibition“The Art of Dansaekhwa”: Kukje Gallery in Seoul brings together the works of key Dansaekhwa artists from the 1970s and 1980s in the exhibition “The Art of Dansaekhwa,” which runs through Oct. 19. Curated by Yoon Jin-seob, art curator and promoter of the term Dansaekhwa in the global art world, the exhibition showcases some 18 monochrome paintings, offering insight into the Korean Dansaekhwa movement and its distinctive style. For more information, call (02) 735-8449.  “Conjunction” by

Sept. 19, 2014

The art of reading trends

This is the 15th in a series highlighting women and their accomplishments in the various facets of the Korean entertainment industry. ― Ed. While you may be unfamiliar with the name Lee Shin, chances are you’ve come across her work on album covers or even used one of the series of emoticons she designed for KakaoTalk. “Foul-Mouthed Grandma” and the “Dog Series” have been particularly popular. As the design director at Hansigan, Lee develops the concepts for characters and leads the team that des

Sept. 18, 2014

Peter Fonda’s ‘Easy Rider’ bike going to auction

NEW YORK (AP) ― The customized Captain America chopper Peter Fonda rode in “Easy Rider” has come to symbolize the counterculture of the 1960s. Now it’s for sale. The auction house Profiles in History told The Associated Press that it estimates the Harley-Davidson will bring $1 million to $1.2 million at its Oct. 18 sale being held online and at its galleries in Calabasas, California. The seller is Michael Eisenberg, a California businessman who once co-owned a Los Angeles motorcycle-themed resta

Sept. 18, 2014

Chinese vases soar 120 times past estimate to fetch $1.2m

NEW YORK (Bloomberg) ― A pair of Chinese porcelain vases sold Monday for $1.2 million at Doyle New York, soaring 120 times past its low estimate. The two 16-inch tall glazed vases, painted with branches of blooming peonies on a turquoise background, each had a Qianlong-era seal on its base, referring to the reign of the Qianlong Emperor from 1736 to 1795. Estimated at $10,000 to $15,000, they were part of Doyle’s “Asian Works of Art” sale in New York. The price includes buyer’s commission.  A pa

Sept. 17, 2014

History meets modern art, high tech

Move over galleries, museums and theaters. Royal palaces are the new face of Seoul’s vibrant art and culture scene ― at least for nine days starting on Sept. 20. The first-ever Royal Culture Festival brings a plethora of performances, art exhibitions and cultural programs to four majestic royal palaces of Seoul, blending history, modern art and futuristic technology. Cute robots reenact royal ancestral rites. The kings’ royal procession plays in a three-dimensional documentary film screened in a

Sept. 17, 2014

Festival attracts prominent writers to Seoul, Jeju

Writers from 13 countries will come together in Seoul’s historic neighborhood of Bukchon and the southern resort island of Jejudo to communicate through literature at the 2014 edition of the Seoul International Writers’ Festival.The fifth biennial literary festival, which launched in 2006, will run for seven days from Sept. 21-27, and will include presentations and readings by writers, diverse performances and cultural events, under the theme of “Eros and Dream.”  The official poster for the 201

Sept. 15, 2014

Updating a venerated institution

How do you renovate a popular 18th-century museum with minimum disruption to the visitors? Hotel Biron, the Paris location of the two-site Rodin Museum in France, has undertaken just that challenge with its two-year renovation.“The building was in very bad condition and the renovation was an opportunity to strengthen the structure,” said Catherine Chevillot, director of the Rodin Museum, during an interview with The Korea Herald on Sept. 3 at the Alliance Francaise in Seoul. She was in Seoul to

Sept. 12, 2014

Calendar

Pop music“Let’s Rock Festival”: The upcoming “Let’s Rock Festival” is gearing up to feature some of the country’s most notable indie bands in a two-day outdoor rock fest. The festival will include headlining acts Clazziquai Project, Peppertones, Zitten, Sister’s Barbershop, Crying Nut, No Brain, Guckkasten and Rose Motel as well as more than 30 other acts. The two-day indie music festival will be held at the Nanji Hangang Park on Sept. 20 and 21. Ticket prices are listed at 66,000 won for a one-

Sept. 12, 2014