[Star Daily News=Reporter Jo Soo-hyun] The musical ‘The Man Who Laughs’ has released the second round of photos for its fourth season.
On the 22nd, the production company of the musical ‘The Man Who Laughs’, EMK Musical Company (hereinafter referred to as EMK), released the second round of photos of the actors playing Gwynplaine and Dea for its fourth season. The musical ‘The Man Who Laughs’, which has achieved the first grand slam in creative musicals and caused an overwhelming box office syndrome, previously gained attention for its trailer video that captured the atmosphere of the main performance entirely, and has heightened the audience’s expectations by releasing second photos that give a glimpse into each character’s narrative.
The second photos feature the actors playing Gwynplaine and Dea posing with the stage sets actually used in the musical ‘The Man Who Laughs’ and beautiful lighting reminiscent of stars as the background. Euntae Park, Seokhoon Lee, Kyuhyun, Doyoung, who play the role of the young and sensual clown ‘Gwynplaine’, who performs in a traveling circus with an indelible smiling face, deliver such eye contact acting, and Subin Lee, Hyerim Jang, who portray Dea, who looks at and embraces Gwynplaine with her soul despite not being able to see, heighten expectations for the main performance with their delicate emotions.
Euntae Park captivates with subtle eye expression acting unfolded along with tears. He stimulates the audience’s curiosity by capturing Gwynplaine’s narrative three-dimensionally with a facial expression showing glimpses of his agony and sorrow about his life. Seokhoon Lee, sitting on the empty theater seats, completes the character with loneliness and emptiness felt through his eyes that contrast strikingly with his brutally torn mouth by the Comprachicos, garnering even more attention for the Gwynplaine he will portray.
Kyuhyun, posing with the empty stage as a background, encapsulates the deep loneliness of Gwynplaine while conveying strong conviction through his intense eye contact acting, perfectly expressing the character’s narrative with just a single photo and capturing the viewer’s attention. Lastly, Doyoung, gazing at the dark sky amidst shining lighting, encapsulates the unique mysterious atmosphere of the character with lyrical emotional acting that portrays Gwynplaine’s innocence and boyish charm, heightening expectations for the stage he will present in the main performance.
Subin Lee and Hyerim Jang, portraying Dea, also heighten expectations with character analyses that perfectly align with the narrative of the work. Subin Lee, who extends her hand to the void with a poignant smile, beautifully portrays Dea’s innocence, increasing the immersion in the narrative she will depict. Hyerim Jang, who stands alone in the darkness of an empty theater, foreshadows her unique portrayal of Dea with facial expression acting that reveals fear and sadness, heightening curiosity about the Dea she will newly create.
Opening EMK’s 2025 lineup, the musical ‘The Man Who Laughs’ is an excellent work based on the original novel by the world-renowned writer Victor Hugo, who himself declared, “I have not written a greater masterpiece than this,” and has opened a new horizon by creating its solid narrative structure into a musical format fittingly. Set in 17th-century England, where class discrimination was severe, it criticized the crumbling social justice and humanity through the life of Gwynplaine, who has a hideous face but retains his innocence, while deeply illuminating the values of human dignity and equality.
Premiered as a world premiere in 2018 after a total of five years of production, the musical ‘The Man Who Laughs’ broke unprecedented box office records by surpassing 100,000 cumulative audiences within a month of its opening, with an occupancy rate of 92% of the seats, receiving rave reviews as a work symbolizing the present and future of Korean musicals.
Furthermore, the work swept 6 awards at the ‘7th Yegreen Musical Awards’, 3 awards at the ‘3rd Korean Musical Awards’, the top award in the musical category at the ‘6th Edaily Culture Awards’, and the grand prize and top musical award at the ‘14th Golden Ticket Awards’, proving it to be a grand work with both artistic merit and commercial appeal.
Meanwhile, the musical ‘The Man Who Laughs’ will open on January 9, 2025, at the Seoul Arts Center Opera House and will run until March 9, with the first ticket opening to be held at 11 am on the 26th through SAC, Melon Ticket, and Interpark Ticket.
