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“Covenant Journey,” Korea’s first-ever English musical debut in New York City
A Musical That Makes its Audiences Ask “Who Am I?”
New York City debut of Korea’s first-ever English musical, “Convenant Journey” will touch many young hearts and souls in New York City from November 5th to 21st at Gerald W. Lynch Theater.
Gerald W. Lynch Theater (John Jay College) 899 10th Avenue at 58th Street New York, NY 10019
(2010-11-09) Musical, the Covenant Journey, had a grand opening on the November 6th 2010. Professionals from different industries have applauded the musical as refreshing and touching. “We especially liked how the musical dealt with crucial problems like family issues and teenage troubles.” (Sojung Shin, Editor of Metropolitan Opera)
“I have received a personal message – choreography and lighting effects were stunning. The production had professional level of stage equipments and scale. (Korea Tourism Organization)
“Music and message were very good. I would like to watch it again. Joseph’s Dream scene was memorable”. (Laura, Music Director of Redeemer Church)
“The message was very good. My Biblical English name is Joseph and I received much grace as I felt that my life is just like Joseph’s.” (Dong-Ho Song, Attorney, New York Korean Institute Principal)
“My wife and I have been reading story of Joseph from Bible lately and we were especially touched because it showed Joseph’s story.” (Brooklyn Tabernacle Church, Vice President of Downtown Alliance)
“It was the best musical that I’ve seen in my life! The musical ministered to me. (Times Square Church member)
A refreshingly original musical for the future leaders of our nation The Covenant Journey has debuted in America with its opening show at 7:30 PM on Friday, November 5th at the Lynch Theatre, 10th Ave. New York, New York. Its tour will then continue to Philadelphia’s Merriam Theatre from November 26th to the 28th and finally, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center from December 1st to the 4th.
As immigrant parents’s daughter born in the U.S., the lyricist of The Covenant Journey witnessed the suffering and worries of our society through her own familial circumstances and depicted them through the protagonist Karyn. The musical is a dramatization of Karyn’s life that draws the reality of abandoned orphans and drug-addicted youths and plants dreams and hopes in their hearts.
Its music is incredibly sophisticated for a 22 year-old composer’s first work, and its splendid melody and magnificent harmony adds a greater emotional wave to the story of overcoming the family conflicts and teen drug addiction, which are severe problems of our society today. The musical itself seems like a journey of a young man’s dream-come-true for its New York debut has been made possible only after four years of its first showing in Korea. This well-crafted combination of a rookie composer’s genius, heart-moving music and an extremely significant story that addresses and provides an answer to the problems of a family suffering from PTSD and teen drug abuse would be a thoughtful gift for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The parallel between a well-known biblical figure Joseph and a drug-addicted teenage girl Karyn, whose father suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, identifies the fundamental problem of humanity from two completely different individuals and proposes a possible solution. As most commercial musicals of today delve into delivering a sexual and emotional surge to their audiences, The Covenant Journey is one of the most unique musicals of the recent years that is not too philosophical but still allows its watchers plenty of room to and empathize with the plot and think about their personal experiences.
The Covenant Journey had an unusually successful debut in Seoul COEX Auditorium, Seoul, Korea in July, 2006 with a 93-percent occupancy. With the media’s applause for creating a huge fan base, it had another successful run in GCS Grand Theatre, Gwacheon, Korea in 2008 and 2009 filling over 80-percent of the seats each year. Moreover, its tour in Hong Kong, where the profile was not at all as high as it was in Korea, ended up being a commercial success recording 70-percent occupancy in five showings. Its upgraded features appeared to bring more prominence for the fifteen showings in Seoul Arts Center in 2009 recorded a 91-percent occupancy with weekend sellouts.
Ever since its debut in 2006, The Covenant Journey has been applauded with positive reviews from media, critics, and watchers such as “Impressive story that crosses the past to modern day” from MBN News, Encouraging musical that helps you overcome your conflicts and worries through Joseph’s story” from Financial News, “A musical that holds out a hand to those neglected from their schools and families” from Seoul News. Especially its music and composition have been internationally recognized. George Lizst from Institute of Performing Arts Scream Factory in Germany said, “The Covenant Journey has world-class music. It could go on to West End any moment.” Mark Ward from Cirque du Soleil-Quidam also praised the musical and said, “No other musical did a better job at expressing the problems of the youth.”
On November 5, 2010, The Covenant Journey had their dress rehearsal followed by a reception with VIP guests and press. The first show is scheduled to debut on Saturday, November 6th at 7:30pm and will run until November 21st with a total of 19 performances.
About R.W.C
Remnants With the Covenant (R.W.C) began in 1998 as a gathering cultural exchange and communication for 1.5 and 2nd generation Korean American youth and college students with native-born Korean students. The production company was officially formed in August of 2004 in order to support and cultivate the cultural activities of its young members. Mr. Dong-hoon Han, the representative of R.W.C, received the excellence award for the 2008 Small-Business Culture Awards in acknowledgment of his work toward improving the arts business.
