PRODUCED BY SEOUL PERFORMING ARTS COMPANY
BASED ON ‘ALONG WITH THE GODS’ BY Joo Ho-Min

BOOK & LYRICS Jung, Young
COMPOSER & ARRANGEMENT Park, Sung-Il
DIRECTOR Kim, Dong-Yeon
ADAPTOR Sung, Jae-Joon
MUSIC DIRECTOR Shin, Eun-Kyung
CHOREOGRAPHER Noh, Jung-Sik
MARTIAL ARTS DESIGNER Suh, Jung-Joo
SCENIC DESIGNER Park, Dong-Woo
PROJECTION DESIGNER Jung, Jae-Jin
LIGHTING DESIGNER Koo, Yoon-Young
SOUND DESIGNER Yang, Seok-Ho
COSTUME DESIGNER Min, Cheon-Hong
WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER Baek, Ji-Young
PROPS DESIGNER Kim, Sang-Hee

‘Along with the Gods: the Afterworld’ is a musical based on the webtoon ‘Along with the Gods’ by Joo Ho-min. The webtoon, which was published for three years from 2010, addresses the Asian world view, with a setting which could be both familiar and unfamiliar: the afterworld. In this framework, the webtoon sheds light on human life through its variety of characters, thus being loved by many. The webtoon was staged as a musical produced by Seoul Performing Arts Company in 2015 and it also became the source of films: ‘Along with the Gods-Crime and Punishment’ and ‘Along with the Gods-People and Relationships’ in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

The musical keeps the original story intact. Kim Ja-hong, an ordiary salaryman, dies before the age of 40. In the afterworld, Kim Ja-hong must get through seven hurdles for 49 days in order to be judged for his sins. Jin Gi-han, a court-appointed lawyer who dreams of a just afterworld without anyone feeling victimized, joins Kim Ja-hong on his journey in the afterworld. Meanwhile, the angel of death, who takes those on the list to the afterworld at the behest of the the king of the afterworld, pursues a dead person bearing a grudge as he begins to move around in this world. The angel learns of how the dead person called Yu Seong-yeon died with a grudge and decides to help him wreak his grudge, thus realizing a humane afterworld. Telling these two stories in paralle, the musical conveys a simple but important message: “If you sin, you are punished.”

In the narrative that goes back and forth between this world and the afterworld, the musical finds a world view consisting in the eternal cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. In the same vein, the performance moves around a ring-shaped stage (circular stage visualizing the eternal cycle) which is symbolic and visual. Newspapers seen everywhere on stage symbolize sin and karma in this world. Images projected on the LED screen of 80m2 on the floor describe Hell, an imaginative space. Different versions of Hell become concrete with audiovisual effects. Two stories about this world and the afterworld (two worlds that look different but that are actually the same) unfold as the stage serves as the link between the stories. Moreover, Seoul Performing Arts Company presents their own high-quality performance and the performers act as if they just came out of the cartoon. Their acting makes the musical even more touching and enjoyable. Since its premiere in 2015, the musical has become a representative performance in Seoul Performing Arts Company’s repertoire and it has constantly met new audiences every year.

REVIEW

The ring-shaped stage serves as a pivot expressing the Korean view of the afterworld summarized as the eternal cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The stage connecting two layers implies the musical’s premise: Life in the afterworld isn’t different from the one in this world. At the same time, such a stage structure lucidly visualizes the performance’s two stories: “Kim Ja-hong’s Judgement” and “The Angel of Death Pursuing a Dead Person with a Grudge.”
- Kim Eun-jeong, reporter of Herald POP

Making use of its unique stage design, the musical keeps the audience focused by means of its pace, which is even more cartoonish than a real cartoon.
- Jeong Ji-hye, reporter of the Korea Economic TV

The combination of effortless acting and intuitive directing further strengthens the musical’s contrast between “salvation” and “condemnation” and its message “encouraging good and punishing evil.”
- Ku Yu-na, reporter of Money Today

About the Production Company

Founded in 1986 as the 88 Seoul Performing Arts Company, the Seoul Performing Arts Company is a national and public arts company that has safeguarded Korea’s performing arts for over 30 years. They have established their identity through their classical dance-drama. Such dance-drama performances deal with themes concerning Korean people and Korea’s history stretching from the period of Goguryo to that of today’s divided Korean Peninsula. They have communicated with their contemporary audience through these classical performances. In particular, the company boasts high-quailty performances presented by about 30 performers who belong to either the musical group or the classical dance-drama group. Every year, they produce four creative performances. The company’s representative performances include ‘Kingdom of the Wind_Muhyul’ (2006), ‘Yun Dong-ju Shoots at the Moon’ (2012), ‘Lost Face 1895’ (2013) and ‘Along with the Gods: the Afterworld’ (2015).