A love that never dies

‘Phantom’ has an inspirational muse in Noh

For Koreans, Andrew Lloyd Webber couldn’t have come up with a better name than “Love Never Dies’’ for the sequel to his world-conquering “The Phantom of the Opera.’’ There is no other way to describe their insatiable appetite for the iconic Broadway musical about a disfigured musical genius and his beautiful muse.

Of course, “Phantom’’ is secured in its place atop the pantheon of the most financially successful theatrical shows in history and Korea is just one of many markets where it regularly bows to rapt applause.

Still, it would be hard to find a country where the musical had more impact. Before Phantom arrived in 2001, it was unclear whether Korea’s slowly-budding musical market would ever be more than a tease.

The show singlehandedly ignited the explosion of the market, which is now among Asia’s biggest and continues to absorb the wealth of local talent in acting and singing that previously fueled more classical arts.

More than 1 million Koreans have seen Phantom through the four previous licensed versions and touring productions. The large crowd drawn everyday at Blue Square in Hannam-dong, Seoul, the venue of the current run, suggests that the number will continue to grow.

Noh Jee-hyun, dance captain of the international touring production of “The Phantom of the Opera”

The international production now in Seoul features a charismatic Phantom in American Brad Little, who among Korean musical fans is as popular as air, with Australian Claire Lyons in the role of Christine and South African Anthony Downing as Raoul. But the one Korean member among the cast seems to be as influential to the performance as anyone.

She is 40-year-old veteran Noh Jee-hyun, who doubles as an actress and the dance captain of the current production. While she will not appear on stage everyday ― being a “swing,’’ or a member of the company who is trained for different roles and ensembles to relieve other actors when required ― her knowledge of the roles and expertise in choreography are indispensible, according to her colleagues.

Noh, who trained in ballet from the age of 9, first developed an interest in musicals while studying at London’s West Street School and London Studio Centre.

Her first appearance in musical theater was through a version of “Carousel,’’ the famous Richard Rodgers- Oscar Hammerstein work. Her ties with Phantom began shortly after.

“I was on a break after finishing ‘Carousel’ and then found the audition notice for The Phantom of the Opera. Only one position was open, the female ensemble who would also be a Meg Giry cover (understudy),” Noh said.

In Phantom, Meg Giry is the friend of the heroine Christine who plays an important supporting role in the story. Noh wanted that job very badly.

“Since I was trained as a dancer, I was very confident in the dancing part. But I was very scared about the vocal part of the job,’’ she said, recalling her 1992 audition.

“I had never seen the show before applying for the audition. But the ballet dancer in me instantly craved the role of Meg Giry.’’

She got a call the day after her audition and found herself joining the West End production of Phantom. Her first experience in world-class musical shows was unique.

“I was able to be on stage as Meg Giry about two weeks after joining the show. On my first performance, I fell through an open trap door on stage, leaving the stage after the Il Muto scene. I didn’t know the set for the next scene was coming up from the trap room under the stage. I still have scars from the accident,’’ she said.

Despite the injury, she managed to finish the show that day and continued to play the role for a week. “I didn’t know when my next chance would come, so I completed my run for a week,” Noh said.

While she ended up participating in the West End version for two years, she continued her career in ballet, working with the London City Ballet and the English National Ballet before returning to Korea in 2000.

She was with the Seoul Ballet Theatre when she saw the advertisement for the Korean “Phantom” production.

“I immediately called Seol & Company and asked if I could be auditioned for the show since I was a part of the West End production. They were a bit taken aback since they did not know a Korean actress had been involved in the West End version of Phantom,’’ she said.

Noh predictably aced the audition and became Meg Girly again for the 2001 Korean production of the show, which reshaped the musical scene irrevocably. She played the same role for the 2005 international touring production and participated as the resident choreographer in the 2010 Korean production. Noh from the start has been actively engaged in the current international tour, which began in South Africa and stopped in the Philippines before arriving in Korea last December.

While Noh still craves the stage, she accepts that she is now more in demand as a choreographer, a role she handled in other big productions such as “Cats,’’ “Beauty and the Beast’’ and “Chicago.’’

“At first, I was distressed about being phased out as an actress ― you always miss the energy and excitement on the stage and backstage and the applause of the audience. But there is the old Korean saying ‘know when to bow out’ and I have learned to let go. I think I am ready to say that I am just as happy that my pupils are drawing acclaim for their dancing,’’ she said.

For Noh, the current Phantom production is especially valuable because it could easily prove as one of her final opportunities to appear on stage in front of a nightly sell-out crowd.

“I hadn’t worn toe shoes for more than three years and was worried if I could still dance. But the current experience reminded me of so many things. I feel like I am an actress by nature,’’ she said.

Noh’s favorite scene from Phantom is when the ballet dancers practice in the rehearsal room while Meg is speaking to Christine after her debut as a soprano. The scene is often dubbed as “the Degas scene,” since it captures the beauty of dancers’ movement like Edgar Degas paintings.

She also advised people to pay attention to hidden details in the show. For instance, the speed of curtains going up in the prologue has meaning. The show begins with an auction of old theater props in the prologue, which is set some 24 years after the incidents in the show.

“After the auction, the chandelier is pulled up to the ceiling and curtains behind the auctioneer go up to visualize the years rolling back. When you have a good look of the curtains, some of them are drawn faster, while the others go up more slowly. This means everyone has different lapses of time,” she said.

Noh will spend some more time with the Phantom, since she plans to travel to Hong Kong and Thailand with the touring production after finishing the Seoul segment. But she has larger dreams of choreographing homegrown shows. Some of them are quite quirky.

“I want to create a choreography incorporating Korean martial arts such as taekwondo. Some big Korean shows have choreography based on Korean traditional dance, but I haven’t seen ones inspired by taekwondo. Wouldn’t it be nice to see taekwondo choreography on stage?”

“The Phantom of the Opera” in Seoul runs through March 24. Tickets cost from 50,000 to 160,000 won. For more information, visit www.phantomoftheopera.co.kr or call 1577-3363. <The Korea Times/Kwon Mee-yoo>