Korea In Motion's Open Stage: Hwarang, The Musicale

Since the opening ceremonies of Korea In Motion's September Festival featuring the non-verbal performances and musical shows in Seoul, I haven't been to the Cheonggyecheon area to watch KOINMO'S open stage.

At noon during the week, the open stage features a sneak peek at different performances and shows.

Luckily, today, I was able to rush at KNTO's headquarters where KOINMO set up a stage where performers of the musicale, Hwarang, would be singing excerpts from the show.

But unluckily for me, whose Hangeul is very limited, I wasn't able to understand the lyrics of the songs.

But even though I could not understand a word, these five male performers brought out the storyline of the show through their musicality and really good singing voices. I was impressed!  They are so much better than any K-pop boy band! 

They were like a K-pop boy band without thick makeup and fancy clothes, but with real talent! Really impressive!

The 30-minute, open-air sneak peek didn't really give justice to the whole musicale, as the sound of their voices and the accompanying music were occasionally interrupted by the honking of cars nearby.

Here are the five talented Hwarang performers:

I guess if I really have to enjoy the whole length of the musicale, I may have to buy a Rush Ticket at 50%! Ha-ha-ha! Let me think about it.

Well, I have until the end of September to think about it, actually.

So, in case you're in Seoul and want to catch any of the non-verbal performances and musicales, you can just run to the KNTO's open stage area and get your tickets at 50% off.

Korea In Motion has an English page, by the way.

Hwarang is like a k-pop musicale set the Shilla dynasty, and although the open-air performance was just short, the audience obviously enjoyed it as I think these five performers gave them something new and different. Plus, these open air performances give the office people working in the nearby buildings something to look forward to during their lunch break.

Here are few videos I took of the Hwarang performance (which I highly recommend especially to those who understand Hangeul). 

Hwarang video 1

Hwarang video 2

Hwarang video 3