‘KPOP’: Korea’s Got Talent

‘KPOP’: The cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

KPOP
Originally conceived by Woodshed Collective & Jason Kim
Book by Jason Kim
Music & lyrics by Max Vernon
Directed by Teddy Bergman
Choreographed by Jennifer Weber
Circle in the Square
235 West 50^th Street
212-239-6202, www.KPOPBroadway.com

By David NouNou

If you ever wondered what it would be like to watch “Korea’s Got Talent” or “Idol,” songs lip-synched in Korean and then translated in English, mash it up with “Project Runway,” backstage drama filmed by a documentarian, and as a bonus throw in early Lady Gaga for a finale, you now have KPOP.

In addition, you will also be treated to every cliché in the book. The girl band known as RTMIS and all the sacrifices they have made in their lives by not seeing their families for years at a time, practicing relentlessly, weeping, wanting to quit and then giving each other a pep talk to stay in the quintet.

Let’s not forget the boy band known as F8 (the title says it all), singing and dancing their hearts out, posing, swaggering, the outsider who jumped the line to get in the group, the group leader who is against the outsider because he jumped the line. The boys talking sense to the two and unifying them to be the best boy band octet they can be.

To add tension, there is Ruby (Jully Lee), the head of the record label aptly named RBY, and the young singer, Mwe (Luna), a South Korean musical sensation. Ruby has played mother figure to Mwe since she was nine when Mwe came to audition for her. Mwe was abandoned as a child by her mother and Ruby took her under her wings and nurtured her to be the sensation she never could be.

There is also the sleazy documentarian, Harry (Aurie Merrylees), making a film about the struggles of the performers preparing their acts to come to America for their New York City debut. He tries to stir trouble by having the band members turn against each other and having it all filmed by his camera operator (Major Curda) so he can have a better documentary.

Moral of the musical is you have to suffer and sacrifice for your art. Your talent has to be unique and make you standout, but here is the conundrum: They are all dancing in unison and hand movements and placement are robotically in sync. If all this appeals to you, you have the opportunity to see KPOP and whip yourself up into a frenzy.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 3, 2022
Reviewed at December 2, 2022  press performance.

‘KPOP’: Luna. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘KPOP’: The cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘KPOP’: Kevin Woo & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘KPOP’: The cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.