Poet's Cry for Artistic Freedom Inspires New Musical 'Baudelaire' at DIMF
Creatrip Team
a month ago
At the 20th Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF), the new musical 'Baudelaire' reimagines the life of 19th-century French poet Charles Baudelaire. Set in 1844 France, it follows a young Baudelaire who wins a school poetry contest but is stripped of his prize for defying the older generation. Scarred by trauma, he later publishes Les Fleurs du mal ("The Flowers of Evil") to acclaim yet faces censorship, seizure of his work and a death sentence as authorities clamp down on his art. The production charts his transformation from decadent (aestheticism) poet to an 'artistic revolutionary,' using song, choreography and staging to link historical oppression to contemporary issues of freedom, equality and discrimination. The cast includes Kim Hyeong-gyun as Baudelaire and features performances by Kang In-dae, Bae Hye-jin, Kim Min-gang and Lee Seon-ju. DIMF runs across Daegu venues with a record 34 works from 7 countries and 119 performances.
