How long have we all been wanting Leenalchi and the Ambiguous Dance Company to come to London? Probably ever since their Naver Onstage performance went viral on social media. The piece they were performing was Tiger is Coming, which turned out to be the opening track of their subsequent album, Sugungga, a retelling of one … [Read More]
Category: Theatre
Edinburgh 2022: the first weekend of Korean performances
LKL has a packed agenda at the first weekend of the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe. Edinburgh performers have to put up with all forms of distractions in pursuit of their art. At Dance Base, the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company, whose performance opened in quietness to the sounds of Lee Ilwoo’s solo piri, had … [Read More]
Homeland – A new play by HeeJin Kim
“I just want to start a new life in this country. I worked so hard you know, to f*cking survive.” Theatre Company Knee presents the world premiere of Homeland, a comedy-drama that explores the idea of home from the perspective of recent migrants to the UK. Written by award-winning Korean Playwright HeeJin Kim and featuring … [Read More]
Tiger is Coming: Dolpagu
South Korea’s award-winning theatre company Dolpagu presents the UK Premiere of XXL Leotard and Anna Sui Hand Mirror, a groundbreaking theatre production exploring gender and social class across generations. Junho must keep his secret – he likes to wear women’s leotards. Wearing them stops him stressing about his upcoming college entrance exam. Hee-joo finds out his secret and posts a photo … [Read More]
The Apology
Arcola reunites with New Earth for this powerful human story which asks how a nation can apologise for the crimes of its past. “My feelings? They’re not hurt. My feelings are incensed…” Seoul, 1991. Priyanka is beginning the UN investigation into the ‘comfort women’ of the Second World War, and the subsequent political cover-up. Yuna … [Read More]
Korean performers at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Fringe is back, and this year there are nine Korean acts performing. Exciting dance performances, world music, theatre and pansori puppetry: something for everyone. Find all the details here, with booking links to the official Fringe website. Plan your Korean August in Edinburgh here! [Read More]
Korean comic play: A First Class
A father sacrifices his organs to fund his wife’ s crazed brain-altering attempt to create A FIRST CLASS DAUGHTER. Is this truly the route to perfection? The mother’s desperate efforts to make her daughter a first-class person are a pitiful sight. She has had her daughter’ s brain changed into that of a confirmed genius … [Read More]
What Remains of Us, at Bristol Old Vic
This interesting collaboration between Bristol Old Vic, Bath Spa University and K-Arts University should be worth a trip down to Bristol in early March. The production explores the theme of Korean family reunions. What Remains of Us Judy Owen Ltd in association with Bristol Old Vic, Bath Spa Productions and Korea National University of Arts … [Read More]
Cuckoo by Jaha Koo, at Warwick Arts Centre
“A journey through the last 20 years of Korean history told by a bunch of talkative rice cookers” has got to be worth a trip from London. Cuckoo by Jaha Koo Wednesday 8 December & Thursday 9 December 2021 7:45pm Studio | Warwick Arts Centre | University of Warwick | Coventry CV4 7AL | Book … [Read More]
Young Jean Lee’s Straight White Men at the Southwark Playhouse
It’s not often we get plays by writers of Korean heritage getting a substantial run in a London theatre, so show your support for this one. After two attempts at scheduling a run during 2020, we’re hoping this will be third time lucky. Straight White Men Southwark Playhouse | 77-85 Newington Causeway | London SE1 … [Read More]
Korean performers at the 2021 Edinburgh Fringe Online
The Fringe website isn’t so searchable this year but so far I’ve managed to find three Korean groups performing – all available to be watched on demand. For me the highlight will be the return of dancer Sun-hoo Yoo with her production After4. We found the performance in 2017 one of the best things we’ve … [Read More]
Grid Theatre presents Red Peter at the Vault Festival
Grid Theatre’s Korean stage director Chris Yun-Ward tackles a Kafka short story: Red Peter Friday 6 – Sunday 8 March 2020, 6pm – 7pm Additional matinee performance Sunday 8 March, 3pm – 4pm Vault Festival | Leake Street | Waterloo | London SE1 7NN Tickets from £11 | Buy Tickets A stage adaptation of the … [Read More]
Jimin Suh’s Unburied in double bill at The Bunker
THE UPSETTERS present a week-long festival dedicated to celebrating artists of colour where they will hold a poetry night, debut two pieces of new writing, present a scratch night and host a series of workshops where they pay participants to attend to cover loss of earning. THE UPSETTERS make theatre written by writers of colour, … [Read More]
A review of the Korean cultural year 2019
A review of some of the highlights and trends in the Korean cultural year, primarily in London but also with half an eye to anything we might have seen elsewhere in the UK. The review is a personal one, inevitably skewed towards the events we managed to get to. Introduction This time last year I … [Read More]
Hansol Jung’s Wild Goose Dreams, at Theatre Royal Bath
Thanks to Colin Bartlett for passing on the news of this interesting and well-reviewed production in Bath: Wild Goose Dreams by Hansol Jung, directed by Michael Boyd Ustinov Studio | Theatre Royal Bath | Sawclose | Bath BA1 1ET | www.theatreroyal.org.uk Thursday 21 November — Sat 21 December 2019 | Book tickets Evenings: Mon – … [Read More]
Review round-up: LKL at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe
After a break from the Fringe last year, LKL returned this year to see what was new. A lot of the companies are fringe regulars: Brush, Modl, Cho-in and Hooam have all come over before, and in fact Modl this year was celebrating its 30th birthday. But there were also new acts, including Korean Gipsy … [Read More]