Following her portrayal of a mother who struggles with bipolar disorder in the Korean rendition of the off-Broadway musical “Next to Normal,” musical director, conductor and actress Kolleen Park has stepped away from the stage and reprised her directorial role with her latest musical production, “Airport Baby.”

The musical touches upon international adoption, a controversial social issue in Korea. It tells the story of a young Korean-American named Josh Coen, played by local actor Choi Jae-rim, who also starred alongside Park in “Next to Normal” as her son.

Coen is an adoptee who leaves his home in Atlanta, Georgia, to come to Korea in search of his birth mother. 

“I think the musical sheds new light on the topic of adoption, which can be a bit of a controversial subject matter that tends to evoke tears,” said Park, during a press rehearsal at the Art One Theater in Daehangno on Wednesday.

“It’s an issue that is still a topic of much discussion in Korea, but it’s not something we need to shy away from. ... I think the script really works well as a musical, and the musical score really meshed well with the lyrics,” she added.

The musical’s writers Jeon Su-yang and Jang Hui-sun were inspired to write the script in 1989 by a program dedicated to helping adoptees reunite with their birth parents. Along with its main subject of adoption, the musical also spotlights the country’s still widely held social prejudice against homosexuality and deals with the matter of drug use.

One of the key scenes in “Airport Baby” shows Coen seeking emotional refuge in the popular foreigner hot spot of Itaewon, where he meets a cross-dressing, homosexual barkeep and his group of gay friends. 

In a musical script that bounces back and forth between Korean and English, the musical stands out as putting a very Western twist on a very Korean subject matter.

“I think the biggest selling point of this musical is how we stepped outside what would be considered the norm,” says U.S.-born Park, who was raised in Korea and the U.S.

“The story is different because it is both sad and fun, with a lot of humorous anecdotes, and it deals with a wide range of subject matters as well as relevant social issues,” the director added.

The 20-song musical act also stars Kang Yun-seok, Lee Mi-rah, Hwang Sung-hyun, Oh Jung-hoon, Kim Ba-da and Ji Sae-rom.

“Airport Baby” is being staged daily, except Mondays, until March 6 at the Art One Theater in Daehangno, Seoul. Ticket prices are 40,000 won ($32) and 50,000 won. For more information, call (02) 577-1987.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)