25th anniversary of the musical fandom, 12th season..The reason why we're calling the Nth round
Mar 06, 2025
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▶ Miracle created by love of fandom
'Werther' is a newly created creative musical that melts Korean sensibilities based on the novel 'Sadness of Young Werther' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a great German literature artist. Since the premiere was planned and produced by the theater company Danyeol in 2000, it has been steadily re-performed since 2010 with the participation of the theater company Danyeol and CJ ENM in co-production. 'Werther', which has continued for a total of 12 seasons until this year, shows the value of classical music that shines as the years go by, and is showing its true face as a steady seller of Korean creative musicals.
At the time of the premiere, the enthusiastic support of the audience community called 'Vesamo (a group of people who love Werther)' was formed voluntarily. In particular, in 2002, fans voluntarily raised money and re-performed, and 'Vesamo' is considered a representative example of the prototype of the domestic creative musical fandom.
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In the trend of the times, 'Werther' maintains the classical sentiment of classics, while elaborating on elements such as music, production, and stage art every season. In 2013, director Cho Kwang-hwa, who directed again after six years, set the stage background as 'Flower Industry City', showing a stark contrast between artificial beauty and Werther's hot emotions. In addition, director Cho Kwang-hwa was inspired by Gogh's last moments and film 'Sunflower' and further solidified the identity of the work by changing sunflowers into symbolic flowers instead of existing roses.
Music that maximizes the sensitivity of the work has also been elaborated over a long period of time. At the premiere, it started with a five-member group consisting of piano, violin, cello, oboe, and accordion, and then completed a more in-depth melody through a chamber arrangement centered on string music. Currently, the Chamber Orchestra, consisting of one conductor and piano and 10 string instruments, provides a deep resonance to the audience with its magnificent and delicate music. 'Werther', which has been constantly changing and growing, is meeting the audience with a more complete stage through its 25th anniversary performance.
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The audience's deep and passionate affection for 'Werther' is the biggest driving force behind the work for 25 years. Rather than staying in a simple 'tragic love story', he has given a deep impression by delicately portraying the human inner side of discovering and changing itself through love. The power of these works is more clearly revealed through the famous scenes and heart-rending numbers on the stage.
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Numbers that easily leave your ears once you hear them also make the lyricism of 'Werther' deeper and richer. 'If you can't get off your feet', which contains the pain of Werther's broken heart, is by far considered the most impressive number. The song, which contains Werther's pain and despair, which can't take off due to his growing heart for Lotte, dramatically raises the emotional line of the work by decorating the end of Act 1 and 2. Along with this, 'We', which captures the excitement and tremors of getting closer to Lotte, and 'One Night One Thousand Years', which sings mixed emotions while waiting for different people, are also loved by the audience, leaving a deep lingering feeling.
The 25th anniversary performance, which will be performed at the D-Cube Link Art Center in Seoul until the 16th, evokes the Nth viewing fever of the long-awaited audience and still proves the power of the work. Eom Ki-joon, Yang Yo-seop, Kim Min-seok in the role of Werther, Jeon Mi-do, Lee Ji-hye and Ryu In-ah in the role of Lotte, who is loved by Werther's sunflower, Park Jae-yoon and Lim Jung-mo in the role of Albert, the pub hostess who advises by Werther, Ryu Soo-hwa and Lee Young-mi in the role of Orca, the romantic gardener Kainz, and Kim Da-am and Lee Bong-joon in the role of Kim.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
