More style than substance in 'Last Empress'.

(From The Korea Herald)

By Kim Tong-hyung The musical "The Last Empress," by the drama company A-Com, established itself through the years as one of Korea's most significant theatrical productions, drawing more than 700,000 in audience since its 1995 premier. Based on the dramatic real-life story of Queen Min (1851-1895), an influential political figure of the late Josoen Dynasty who, amid a fierce power struggle, is killed by Japanese assassins, the show's commercial success was a refreshing relief for the local drama world where the supremacy of Western musicals was never met by a meaningful challenge.

"The Last Empress" undoubtedly extended the aesthetics of Korean drama, but in an ironic outcome, also hurt the scene's diversity. After the musical's success, a considerable number of drama companies and showbiz investors jumped into the bandwagon in blind faith, leaving other theatrical genres in financial vulnerability.

This has been a critical year for "The Last Empress." A-Com has been aggressively pushing the show to foreign markets in the past few years and the results are far from promising. Last year's West End debut was considered just short of a disaster - British critic Michael Billington called the show "a doomed attempt to become the Korean 'Les Miserables'" - and the North American tour earlier this year resulted in grave financial losses. However, Korean theatergoers remained supportive throughout, with September's Seoul Arts Center performance and the two-month nationwide tour that followed setting a record number in attendance. "The Last Empress" returned to Seoul last month at the National Theater in Jangchung-dong where it will stay until Dec. 7.

The story is based on the realities of late 19th century Joseon Dynasty, with the country plunged in a clash between its feudal past and externally forced modernization. The politically ambitious Queen Min convinces King Gojong to wrestle power away from his conservative father - the Prince Regent Daewongun - and maneuvers a balance between foreign powers to secure an autonomous modernization process.

Her intentions conflict with that of the Japanese Imperial Government, ...