PRODUCED BY R&D WORKS

PRODUCER Oh, Hoon-Sik
BOOK & LYRICS Kang, Nam
COMPOSER & ARRANGEMENT Kim, Hyo-Eun
DIRECTOR Oh, Lupina
MUSIC DIRECTOR Shin, Eun-Kyung
CHOREOGRAPHER Chae, Hyun-Won
SCENIC DESIGNER Oh, Pil-Young
LIGHTING DESIGNER Won, Yoo-Sub
SOUND DESIGNER Kim, Pil-Soo
COSTUME DESIGNER Do, Yeun
WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER Kim, Sook-Hee
PROPS DESIGNER Kim, Lin-A / Jung, Min-Ji

The musical ‘HOPE: The Unread Book and Life’ (“Hope”) is based on a real, 30-year trial between the Israeli National Library and Eva Hoffe over the unpublished papers of Franz Kafka, one of the major figures of modern literature. Although its historical facts and characters are from a real story, the musical doesn’t try to make clear why the trial lasted 30 years and who owns the original manuscripts. Instead, the musical focuses on Eva Hoffe, a 78-year-old woman who never led her own life. Bert, the author of a bestselling work, admires the talent of Josef who keeps writing in despair without belonging anywhere. Josef dies after telling Bert to burn all his manuscripts but Bert keeps the papers with him. The Second World War breaks out and Germans occupy the Czech Republic. Bert then gives the manuscripts to his lover Marie and leaves. While taking refuge during the war, Marie becomes obsessed with the papers in order to keep her promise he made with Bert. Meanwhile, Marie’s daughter Hope tries to get out of the reality filled with gunshots. However, the more Hope dreams of a new life, the more she loses everything she loves. She ends up living with the papers.

The musical depicts Hope, who protects the papers, as someone fearing changes. It also personifies the pile of manuscripts who is always with her as a person called K. In this way, the musical conveys an encouraging message telling the lady, “You are shiny enough on your own.” Many people have loved the musical’s tunes of string instruments, which generate emotions sensitively, and its numbers with meaningful lyrics. Those who were with Hope in the past also play the roles of those in the court today. This connects the past and present naturally, keeping the audience focused. In the Korean musical market where there haven’t been diverse female characters, ‘Hope’ has drawn attention by delicately describing its character’s different emotions. Kim Seon-young and Cha Ji-yeon, Korea’s representative female actors, played the role of Eva Hoffe with their mature acting.

REVIEW

This 110-minute musical without any intermission gradually makes you more focused towards its end. A female character’s narration performed by Hope is something new that is worth attention. Critics say that the character is a multi-dimensional and independent person that is rarely seen in musicals.
- Ko Bo-hyun, reporter of Maeil Business Newspaper

Each number’s different variations are heard where they are needed, generating emotions. Better than any other varation, a few measures sung a cappella reflect the status of the character who hasn’t raised her voice for so long. Everyone roots for those who dream of change in their own way.
- Jang Kyung-jin, performing arts columnist at Stage Talk

The stage is basically a court but it is efficiently transformed into other different places. An open, terraced stage is clearly visible from any seat. The musical also expresses a moving train and transition between the past and present in a simple, neat and sensitive way.
- Su-jeong Baek, reporter of Within News

About the Production Company

Specializing in performance development, production and management, R&D Works was founded in 2014 with the puppet ballet ‘Swan Lake’. While presenting large-scale licensed musicals such as ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and ‘Wicked’, the company also works on developing distinctive creative musicals like the Sherlock Holmes series and ‘The Devil’. The company’s performers include Song Yong-jin, Ko Hun-jeong, Lee Ye-eun and Lee Ji-su. R&D Works continues to discover new faces systematically to work with them in a sustainable manner. The company’s representative musicals are ‘Sherlock Holmes: Secret of the Anderson Family’ (2014), ‘The Devil’ (2014), ‘Mama, Don’t Cry’ (2016), ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ (2017) and ‘Hope’ (2019).