Three Fairy-tale Musicals Return for Winter: 'Gingginbam', 'The Blue Lion Wanini', and 'Dorothy of the Theater'
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Three family musicals based on Korean picture books are running this winter holiday. Gingginbam (긴긴밤), a tearjerker adapted from Ruri’s 2021 book about the last white rhino Noden and a young penguin journeying to the sea, returns through March 29 in Seoul and has multiple Korean Musical Awards nominations; student discounts are available. A pansori (판소리) reimagining of Gingginbam will be showcased at Sydney Opera House next month with Korean and English mixed. The Blue Lion Wanini (푸른 사자 와니니), from bestselling author Lee Hyun, follows a lioness cast out for being “un-lionlike” as she discovers herself; the production uses intricate puppetry and projection mapping and runs in Seoul through Jan 25, then tours other venues. Dorothy of the Theater (극장의 도로시) is an immersive musical that lets small groups of audience members explore backstage areas and participate in creating a performance; the encore lowers the age limit to 8 and runs Jan 23–Feb 1. All three aim to engage both children and adult viewers with emotional storytelling and inventive staging.
