Tides of K-wave on Broadway

A Korean-American actor performed in “Hadestown,” a Broadway musical that reinterprets Greco-Roman mythology in New York, last Tuesday (local time), making him the first Asian performer to join its main Broadway show.

New York-based actor Timothy H. Lee not only became the first Asian Orpheus, the musical’s main character, on the show’s U.S. national tour this year, but also has doubled as an ensemble role “Worker” and an understudy of “Orpheus.” Unlike the way several actors take turns playing the same role in South Korea, understudies perform regularly on Broadway, where one role is assigned to an actor. Lee said that it is his great honor to join the main show, and he is hoping to work with many more South Korean actors down the road.

Actors and producers of Korean descent are improving their presence on Broadway, almost the birthplace of musicals, with still high entry barriers for Asians. Except for pieces where the main characters are Asian, such as “Miss Saigon,” Asian actors find it hard to get cast.

“The Great Gatsby,” produced by OD Company CEO Shin Chun-soo, has recorded more than one million dollars in weekly sales for 19 weeks running since April 15, staying in “The $1 Million Club.” Its OST album even topped the Billboard Cast Albums chart. “There have been so many inquiries about theatrical licensing by overseas producers since they watched the show that we are thinking about making inroads into Germany, Spain, and Australia,” Shin said. “This show will help musical producers after me enter Broadway and broaden K-musicals' horizons.”


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