Austrian musical brings touching portrayal of legendary empress


There was a standing ovation, cheers and prolonged applause.

Austrian musical “Elisabeth,” which kicked off its first show on Feb. 9, managed to captivate the local audience during its first week, in spite of a number of flaws.

The musical, which portrays the life and death of the real-life iconic Austrian empress Elisabeth von Wittelsbach (1837-1898), is being staged in Korea for the first time. Former girl group FIN.K.L member-turned-musical actress Ok Ju-hyun and heavyweight Kim Sun-young share the role of the beautiful yet unhappy empress consort who is constantly seduced by the spirit of death.

The Feb. 10 show, which was Ok Ju-hyun’s first performance following Kim’s the day before, offered an extremely moving portrait of the empress, complemented by imposing stage art and beautiful music written by Sylvester Levay. 

One of the show’s highlight numbers, “I Belong to Me” (Ich Gehor Nur Mir), which is sung by Elisabeth after she is abused by her overbearing mother-in-law Archduchess Sophie during Act 1, received the most enthusiastic response from the audience. Ok particularly shined with this number, presenting a convincing portrait of the free-spirited woman who is tormented by her marriage and her royal duties as empress.

Musical actor Ryu Jeong-han showed off his magnetic presence as the “death” character, who falls in love with young Elisabeth at first sight and constantly asks her to follow his path throughout her life. Ryu had a much more alluring presence in Act 1 than Act 2, ultimately taking away the anticipated drama from the show’s ending.

Meanwhile, the show’s costumes, designed by a local designer and inspired by the original Austrian show, seemed to be just “de trop,” making it impossible to identify whether they are in fact Austrian or some cheap cosplay dresses. They made it harder for one to concentrate on the narrative, as they did not mix well with the show’s stage art, which was also extremely visual-oriented.

The sound quality of the venue ― Blue Square Samsung Electronics Hall in Hannam-dong, Seoul ― was also a problem. The venue has been receiving complaints about the poor sound quality for quite a while, especially during its last musical “Zorro.”

Musical star Jo Seung-woo, who took the lead role in the musical, famously burst into tears after the last show on Jan. 15, asking the audience not to be “so harsh” about the sound system of the place. Yet even with “Elisabeth,” it seemed like the sound volume wasn’t handled properly, as it was too loud for the front seats on the right side for most of the show.

Yet there is no question that this musical had a successful start during its first week. Ok Ju-hyun once again proved her ability as a musical actress with this show, entertaining and moving her audience. EMK Company, the show’s producer, is expecting to see more foreign audience members from Asian countries as member of popular hallyu idol group JYJ, Junsu, shares the role of death with Ryu and actor Song Chang-ui.

The show runs until May 13 at Blue Square Samsung Electronics Hall in Seoul. For tickets and information, call (02) 6391-6333 or visit www.musicalelisabeth.com.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)