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The 9th iteration of the Daegu International Musical Festival kicked off a few days ago.
The DIMF is the only international musical festival in whole Korea and one the biggest in Asia, focusing not on national musicals but musicals from countries all over the world including the UK, Germany and China. These musicals are then made accessible to Korean audiences by supplying simultaneous subtitles to all the dialogue and songs that can be heard.
Of course the DIMF is also very attractive for foreign visitors, since it isn't often that English language musicals can be attended in Korea - it's a great chance to go out and enjoy some culture.
This year's DIMF will run from the 26th of June until the 13th of July, so there's plenty of time left to find a musical you want to see.
There is a total of 19 musicals being shown this year, including 5 Official Invitational Programs, 3 Special Performances, 4 Creative supporting programs and 7 College Musical Festival productions. The Official Invitationals consist of Return to the Forbidden Planet, a sci-fi rock musical; Flower Shoes, a heartbreaking drama that takes place during the Japanese occupation of Korea; Phantom of London, a murder mystery; Sweet Charity, a romantic Hollywood-like production, with Non-Reading Club, a romantic comedy, rounding off the varied program.
Tickets can be booked through the DIMF website (http://f.dimf.or.kr) and are as affordable as you want to make them; to keep the festival accessible to anyone at any budget Daegu has made sure that you can get a ticket starting from as little as 10,000 won.
Of course the main draw of this festival is the availability of international musicals, performed by their original cast and crew. One such musicals, and the opener of this year's DIMF, is Return to the Forbidden Planet, a rock musical written by Bob Carlton, narrated by Queen's Brian May and spearheaded by Sean Needham and Matthew Devitt.
The main plot, a playful mix of William Shakespeare's The Tempest and 50's pulp Sci-Fi films, finds the crew of a space ship stranded on an uncharted planet that just so happens to house a long thought missing doctor, aptly named Dr. Prospero, whose history and future plans could spell doom for the entire crew..and perhaps the world.
Return to the Forbidden Planet is a love poem to classic rock songs, seamlessly blending such classics as Elvis' All Shook Up, Jerry Lee Lewis' Great Balls of Fire, Roy Orbison's Only the Lonely and Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys into the story, with the (purposefully) extremely hammy acting and (probably also purposefully) extremely amazing musical performances of the actors and actresses on stage.
Also, they had the guts to throw in The Monster Mash. You can't do anything other than respect that.
Aside from Return to the Forbidden Planet, DIMF has many other great musical experiences to offer, so if you needed a push to go check it out consider yourself pushed!
How to get to Daegu Opera House ?
(the venue for most of the Official Invitationals)
- By Bus : If you departure from Dongdaegu Station, take a bus 708 and get off at Daegu Citizen Stadium, 7 mins walk to Daegu Opera House. It will take you about 40 mins.
- By Taxi : It will take you about 13 mins and cost 5,500 won from Dongdaegu station.
The DIMF is the only international musical festival in whole Korea and one the biggest in Asia, focusing not on national musicals but musicals from countries all over the world including the UK, Germany and China. These musicals are then made accessible to Korean audiences by supplying simultaneous subtitles to all the dialogue and songs that can be heard.
Of course the DIMF is also very attractive for foreign visitors, since it isn't often that English language musicals can be attended in Korea - it's a great chance to go out and enjoy some culture.
[You'll see announcement banners like these across Daegu for the next couple of weeks to remind you that you should get your tickets soon]
This year's DIMF will run from the 26th of June until the 13th of July, so there's plenty of time left to find a musical you want to see.
There is a total of 19 musicals being shown this year, including 5 Official Invitational Programs, 3 Special Performances, 4 Creative supporting programs and 7 College Musical Festival productions. The Official Invitationals consist of Return to the Forbidden Planet, a sci-fi rock musical; Flower Shoes, a heartbreaking drama that takes place during the Japanese occupation of Korea; Phantom of London, a murder mystery; Sweet Charity, a romantic Hollywood-like production, with Non-Reading Club, a romantic comedy, rounding off the varied program.
Tickets can be booked through the DIMF website (http://f.dimf.or.kr) and are as affordable as you want to make them; to keep the festival accessible to anyone at any budget Daegu has made sure that you can get a ticket starting from as little as 10,000 won.
Of course the main draw of this festival is the availability of international musicals, performed by their original cast and crew. One such musicals, and the opener of this year's DIMF, is Return to the Forbidden Planet, a rock musical written by Bob Carlton, narrated by Queen's Brian May and spearheaded by Sean Needham and Matthew Devitt.
[The Daegu Opera House is the venue for most of the Official Invitationals - and a fine venue it is]
The main plot, a playful mix of William Shakespeare's The Tempest and 50's pulp Sci-Fi films, finds the crew of a space ship stranded on an uncharted planet that just so happens to house a long thought missing doctor, aptly named Dr. Prospero, whose history and future plans could spell doom for the entire crew..and perhaps the world.
[Photo curtsey of Return to the Forbidden Planet official website]
Return to the Forbidden Planet is a love poem to classic rock songs, seamlessly blending such classics as Elvis' All Shook Up, Jerry Lee Lewis' Great Balls of Fire, Roy Orbison's Only the Lonely and Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys into the story, with the (purposefully) extremely hammy acting and (probably also purposefully) extremely amazing musical performances of the actors and actresses on stage.
Also, they had the guts to throw in The Monster Mash. You can't do anything other than respect that.
Aside from Return to the Forbidden Planet, DIMF has many other great musical experiences to offer, so if you needed a push to go check it out consider yourself pushed!
How to get to Daegu Opera House ?
(the venue for most of the Official Invitationals)
- By Bus : If you departure from Dongdaegu Station, take a bus 708 and get off at Daegu Citizen Stadium, 7 mins walk to Daegu Opera House. It will take you about 40 mins.
- By Taxi : It will take you about 13 mins and cost 5,500 won from Dongdaegu station.
Address : 15, Hoam-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu, South Korea
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