Performers from the musical “Crazy Bread” sing one of its numbers (Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

Ticket sales for Korean musicals hit a new high of 425.3 billion won (US$320.5 million) in 2022, according to the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System.

After achieving record sales at home, Korean productions are out to expand their winning streak by finding new theaters and audiences abroad.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts Management Service will showcase 14 Korean musicals in theaters overseas beginning in September. The K-musical International Market – an MCST-sponsored event – has selected six productions to tour New York and Tokyo in a K-musical roadshow intended to attract backers for the global expansion of Korean musicals.

“Inside William” and four other shows are scheduled to hit stages in the United States and United Kingdom in October. One of these, “Crazy Bread,” revolves around four extraordinary bakers out to open a new bakery. This immersive musical compels the audience to get personally involved. “L’art reste” – a musical based on the life of Kim Hyang-an, who had successive marriages to a famed Korean poet and a renowned painter –will be performed in the United States.

The musical “You & It” had its London premier on September 1. The story revolves around a widower who lives with an artificial intelligence-based clone of his deceased wife. Japanese fans of musicals can experience five more Korean productions in December, including “Brahms” and “The Final Problem.”

“The Goddess is Watching,” “Vanishing” and “Yujin and Yujin” will target other parts of East Asia. “The Goddess is Watching” – which was created in cooperation with China – enjoyed immense popularity in Shanghai after hitting the stage in June. Set during the 1950-53 Korean War, the story follows Han Young-beom, a captain in the Republic of Korea armed forces, whose mission is to transport four North Koreans to a prison camp.

“Vanishing” and “Yujin and Yujin” will be available in Hong Kong and Taiwan, respectively, in October.

“Established in 2021, the K-musical International Market has been spearheading the overseas expansion of Korean musicals through a step-by-step strategy,” Culture Minister Park Bo Gyoon said. “Our musicals were a wild card for Korean culture, but today, they are becoming a major driving force. We will continue to give unwavering support to them, so they can make waves beyond Asia and head to the United States and Europe.”