Musical Aladdin. Photo courtesy of S&Co.
Junsu Kim is showing off his unrivaled influence as a singer and on the musical stage, causing a box office hit.
He is playing the role of Aladdin in the musical ‘Aladdin’, which premieres at the Charlotte Theater in Songpa-gu, Seoul starting on the 22nd, and is recording sold-out cases every day.
It premiered in Seattle, USA in 2011 and has been performed in 11 countries around the world, including the UK and Australia, attracting a cumulative audience of 20 million, making it a ‘global hit’, and worldwide attention is focused on Junsu Kim as Aladdin.
Meanwhile, Junsu Kim has mainly appeared in big musicals such as ‘Mozart’, ‘Dracula’, ‘Elisabeth’, ‘Death Note’, standing tall as an unshakable ‘hit maker’.
As expected from an idol singer, he boasts precise ‘sharp group dance’ and powerful singing ability, raising expectations for the new side of himself he will show in this musical.
Musical director and choreographer Casey Niccolò visited Korea early this year and cast the lead actors of ‘Aladdin’, including Junsu Kim, after 10 auditions.
In a recent video press conference, he garnered attention by saying, “I mainly selected actors with overflowing energy and unique personalities” and “It was fun to discover people with amazing talent”.
Fans say that Junsu Kim and Aladdin have bright and cheerful energies that are “similar.”
It has been reported that Junsu Kim showed off his extraordinary energy by tap dancing during his first audition.
Amidst the highest expectations, tickets have been sold out ever since they first opened in early September. Tickets for the show next February also sold out in an instant as soon as they opened recently.
Kim Jae-joong and Kim Jun-su joint concert. Photo courtesy of Palm Tree Island·iNKODE
Junsu Kim’s ticket power does not end here. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of his debut, he held a joint concert with Kim Jae-joong, ‘Identity’, for three days from the 8th to the 10th at the KSPO Dome in the Olympic Park in Seoul, and all 45,000 seats were sold out.
He will continue the box office success by holding another concert at the Veruna Dome in Saitama, Japan on December 14th and 15th.
Reporter Lee Jeong-yeon annjoy@donga.com
