Korea Presentation or Travel: Emergence of a new Korean musical performance in 2010

Emergence of a new Korean musical performance in 2010 - The Non-verbal Performance “Beat”

“BEAT” is quickly attracting attention as a unique and sophisticated piece of work that differs from previous non-verbal performances, such as “JUMP” and “NANTA”. Set against the backdrop of a junkyard, the encounters between rock stars and junkyard workers are translated into a musical performance where rock and traditional Korean beats come together. Music plays a large role in “BEAT”. The actors, a four-member rock band composed of drums, guitar, bass and keyboard perform the live music. In particular, instruments created from old car parts will be played for the first time in the history of Korean theatre.

“BEAT” is a story about the ghosts of several rock stars who died in car accidents. For the first time in Korea, musical instruments made from car parts, electric instruments and traditional Korean percussion instruments will come together to create a non-verbal performance suitable for all ages to enjoy.

“BEAT” is directed by the director and arts director of “NANTA” and “JUMP”, Chul-Gi Choi, and produced together with the Seoul Performing Arts Company. The synergy created by Choi’s team - well-experienced and successful in non-verbal performances - combining with the production knowhow of the Seoul Performing Arts Company is expected to be phenomenal.

The new musical performance, a combination of rock and traditional Korean percussion, is a story easily understood by both young and old. The four actors playing the rock stars in a four-member band each play the drums, guitar, bass and keyboard. They sing and perform three pieces of rock music composed by Dong-Jun Lee. In addition, the unique and comic choreography and mimes using junkyard props and flying about the stage come together in a passionate performance.

The production team had to disassemble a total of 129 cars in a junkyard in order to acquire the stage props and make the musical instruments.

In the musical, the encounters between the ghosts of the rock stars trying to stop cars from being scrapped and workers, whose job it is to scrap the cars, are comically presented.
Once a car is made, we use it for at least 10 years. For a long time, they are our number one mobile asset, but once their life is done, they are taken to the junkyard. Only a few years prior to this, however, they were brand new and shiny making the hearts of their owners flutter in delight. Now they are old and broken, awaiting their sentence in the junkyard. This is when they meet the BEAT production team.

At last, parts of cars that were waiting to be reused, repurchased or discarded have been reborn through the hands of the production team. They are no longer scrap metal but have been reformed and remodeled into heroes of the stage.

The instruments fashioned from the car parts had to be cut and re-shaped over and over again, until they produced the desired range of notes. Indeed, the bonnet connected to the soundbox hanging in the air leaves a deep impression with its powerful energy, reminding the audience of a drum performance. However, the klaxon set performance is the highlight of the musical.

The novel instruments made from scrapped cars are only one draw attracting attention. Audiences also have the chance to see an unbelievable stage that looks like installation art. As with the transformers, the axles become scales, fuel tanks act as drums, the power pumps as xylophones, whilst the guitar and bass come together in harmony, and they are no longer mere scraps of metal.