After the very successful first run of “Elisabeth,” ― which was about the real-life 19th-century Austrian Empress ― earlier this year, local musical company EMK is showcasing another European show with an all-Korean cast, this time about the very empress’ son.

Titled “Rudolf,” the show is about Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria (1858-1889) and his affair with Baroness Mary Vetsera. The piece is based on the famous “Mayerling Incident,” where the crown prince and his mistress were found dead, an apparent murder-suicide, at his Mayerling hunting lodge in 1889. The crown prince was 30, Mary only 17.

In the musical “Elisabeth,” the prince appears as a little boy who is emotionally vulnerable, as he does not get enough attention from his always-busy, unavailable mother.

His mother, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898), is said to have suffered through an unhappy marriage with Franz Joseph I, the Emperor of Austria and Apostolic King of Hungary. The free-spirited empress was admired by the public for her beauty and supreme fashion sense, and was famous for her daily beauty routines.

Musical actress Ok Ju-hyun, who won the best actress prize at Korea’s annual Musical Awards for her role as the beautiful yet unhappy empress, is starring as Rudolf’s mistress Mary in the upcoming show. In the musical, she is depicted as a reckless yet caring young woman, who is also very much interested in politics and social justice. 

“I was actually hesitant at first,” said Ok after a press rehearsal of the show held in Seoul on Tuesday.

“I wasn’t sure if I could pull off this role, after playing Rudolf’s mother. But I changed my mind after getting an email from the director of the show. He said, ‘you would understand why Rudolf is the way he is, and why he would fall for a woman like Mary ― because you played his mother before.’ I thought he was right.”

The crown prince married princess Stephanie of Belgium in 1881, but the marriage fell apart after their first child, the Archduchess Elisabeth was born in 1883. His political view was notably liberal, which often clashed against that of his extremely conservative, nationalistic father, Franz Joseph I.

Three of Korea’s top musical stars, Park Eun-tae (Mozart, Hamlet), Im Tae-gyeong (Mozart, Seopyeonje), and Ahn Jae-wook (Jack the Ripper, Guys and Dolls) are sharing the role of the crown prince.

“Well, I think any actor would be grateful to play this role,” said Ahn after the press rehearsal. “I think I can improve as a performer by performing the prince.”

During the rehearsal, a total of 10 songs were performed. One of the highlights was “Only Love,” which is sung by Mary when Rudolf is feeling discouraged, as she tries to comfort him. The song was the title track of soprano Jo Sumi’s 2000 album “Only Love.”

Director Robert Johanson, who is in charge of the show, said the show tells the bittersweet love story of two young, beautiful people, very much like Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

“Please tell your readers to bring a lot of Kleenex,” said Johanson. “I can’t stop crying in rehearsals.”

The show runs from Nov. 10 to Jan. 27, 2013, at Chungmu Art Hall in central Seoul. For more information, call (02) 6391-6333.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)