This has all the hallmarks of a cultural explosion from a country that has creativity very much in its heart. It sings, dances and delights in equal measure as we get the story of a boy who marries a girl. Both are united in their ability to sing and are known, especially he, for singing a traditional song—Ari—which has been in Korean folklore for six centuries now.
Soon, they welcome a daughter, also known as Ari. Though they are in a very rural province of Korea, the fame of their pine and their carpenters reaches the ears of the King, who commissions them to come and rebuild his palace. Our hero leaves his wife and daughter Ari to go and work on the building of the palace, and their fame for great workmanship is not misplaced. They build a magnificent palace.
Our hero finds fortune in his work but is cheated out of his winnings, having been tempted into a gambling den by a woman with enough attributes to entice such a devoted married man and father. He gets himself beaten up, loses his memory and is lost—so lost that back at home they think him dead.
Fifteen years elapse, and many memorial days later, news reaches his village that there is a carpenter wandering around Seoul who has a beautiful singing voice but cannot remember who he is or where he came from. Ari, now grown, leaves word for her mother and her paternal grandmother that she is off to find her father. Whilst away, granny does not live long enough to hear of the daughter finding her father and see the return of her son.
This is a traditional tale and, aside from the theatrical device of having the father sing at a Got Talent event, which could have been a concert or some gathering for the visit of a King or whatever, matches perfectly with the 600-year-old song, Ari. It has tradition all over it, and the performances are highly enthusiastic and have the air of a beautifully recorded advert for the traditions and culture of old Korea.
The songs are wonderfully sung, the drumming is suitably rhythmic and the costume captures the essence of their culture, whilst the dancing is sublime. So, if you are looking to have a very pleasant hour in the company of tremendously well-rehearsed and incredibly slick musical performances in a nice setting, then this is absolutely the show for you.
However.
It feels as though the standard format of boy meets girl, then is almost seduced by another one, leaving the women to need rescue and also Ari, the heroine, has to dress as a man to avoid being attacked—it is not safe for a single woman to walk the streets of Seoul alone—is of its time. It is 600 years in the making, several versions will have been told I have little doubt in the telling. But for 2024, it could do with a lick of creative paint to update and soften the tradition, exploit the creative joy that each performer brings and give a little more to the depth they have onstage.
It’s a Vegas showstopper in a venue of quality when it could push something a little more radical and still keep the tradition alive. It is also sung in Korean with surtitles, which at times could also have lost a little in the translation, which doesn’t help the flow.