Flower of the Sun: An Historical Korean Musical
Have you seen a musical in Korea? There are plenty to choose from. It’s a popular pastime in Korea to attend a musical and though they may not be in English, many of them involve dance, movements, and songs that will tell the story even if you don’t speak Korean. From musicals about history to acrobatics, there is something fun to see on stages across the country.
If you’re interested in tales of Korean history, then one Korean musical you shouldn’t miss is Flower of the Sun (태양의꽃). This gorgeous Korean musical takes place during the Silla dynasty and is playing at the Gyeongju Expo Park in Gyeongju, Korea until the end of September, 2022.
Plan a trip to see Flower of the Sun!
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How To Get There
This Korean musical is currently playing in the Gyeongju Expo Park until the end of September.
Address: 614, Gyeonggam-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do (경북 경주시 경감로 614)
From Seoul
By Train: If you’re traveling by train, look into purchasing the foreigner discount train pass to save money and get around to numerous cities via train (One stop you could make is at Gimcheon Station to take a ride on the longest and tallest zip wire in Korea!).
From Seoul the easiest and most convenient way to get to Gyeongju is via the KTX. Direct trains are available from Seoul Station every hour and take between two hours and two and a half hours. The KTX train station in Gyeongju is actually located outside of the city center so you’ll have to catch a taxi or take a bus to your local stay most likely. We opted for the taxi and it took just 20 minutes and cost about W15,000.
From Busan
By Train: If you’re in the central Busan area, then it would make the most sense to travel by train. You can choose between the KTX or the slow train. The KTX option runs every 30 minutes and takes about a half hour and costs around W12,000.
By Bus: If you’re in the northern Busan area, it would make more sense to travel via bus from Nopo Bus Terminal. There are buses that run every hour and they take about 45 minutes and cost around W5,000.
Basic Info
Where to buy tickets:
- Naver Booking: https://booking.naver.com/booking/5/bizes/674992
- Interpark Booking: https://tickets.interpark.com/goods/22004204
Days: Wednesdays-Sundays (Not showing on Monday or Tuesday)
Showtime: 7:00pm
Running Time: 100 minutes (Note that there is no intermission.)
Ages: 6 and above.
Special Note: Flower of the Sun will be at the Gyeongju Expo Park Theater until September 25th, 2022.
Synopsis
King Jinpyeong has a daughter Princess Deokman, and he’s trying to find her a husband so the dynasty can live on. Other kingdoms want to try to take over Silla, thus having an heir is important. This is the major plotline of the story.
There is this dokkaebi, a goblin-like creature in Korean mythology, named Hyeongrang, who has been watching over Princess Deokman her whole life. Though he watches over the princess, dokkaebis are also well-known for causing general mischief, making him a humorous addition to any musical cast. Princess Deokman didn’t think she needed a husband to become Queen, but her dad didn’t agree.
Meanwhile, the King’s right-hand man Chulsik was planning the king’s assassination! He almost pulled it off but Princess Deokman threw herself in front of her dad. Despite getting stabbed directly through the chest, Princess Deokman doesn’t die and luckily neither does her father from the assassination attempt. After seeing his daughter’s bravery and with a rousing speech from Hyeongrang, King Jinpyeong finally agrees to allow Princess Deokman to become Queen without a husband.
Historical Accuracy
This play is based on actual Korean historical events. Princess Deokman, King Jinpyeong, and Chulsik were all real people. Princess Deokman later became Queen Seondeok, the first reigning Queen of Silla. She ruled from 632 to 647 CE. The Silla dynasty existed from 57 BCE to 935 CE. Silla ruled about a third of the Korean peninsula during its height in 576 CE.
The play deviates from history a little bit because Chulsik’s rebellion actually happened after Seondeok was already queen, and it was her social status and intelligence that caused the King’s advisors to choose her to rule, despite Silla never having a female ruler before. Silla operated class status using a bone rank system, which relied entirely on bloodline and lineage.
At the time, only people who were of “pure” Seonggul rank (which means that both of their parents were also of Seonggul rank) could rule Silla. This made the candidates for the position quite slim because King Jinpyeong didn’t have any male heirs. Queen Seondeok had a rightful claim to the throne because she was of pure Seonggul rank, so she took it. Whether a dokkaebi was actually involved is a mystery, though.
My Review
This musical might be a little hard to follow because it’s entirely in Korean, but there are plenty of dramatic movements and musical numbers so that it’s easy to tell what’s going on enough to enjoy it. The costumes looked to be very well made and accurate to the time period. Princess Deokman goes through 4 dress changes during the show, but the robe she wears once she becomes Queen is the most gorgeous. The cast all played their parts really well.
The performances were strong and I could feel the emotion in their singing. I thought the musical was a little predictable with who the bad guy was right away, but the friend I watched the musical with didn’t agree. She didn’t see it coming at all that Chulsik was going to plan an uprising, but he was the only one not singing and dancing during the ensemble number and he was wearing red and black robes. Classic bad guy traits.
The song genres were varied, which helped to show the changing tensions of the story as the show went on. One of the first songs is a duet by Princess Deokman and King Jinpyeong about how if she were a man she would be allowed to do more things that she wants to do.
Almost immediately after, there’s the first ensemble song with the palace entertainers singing about how they need to find a husband for the princess. It’s a very lighthearted and goofy song to provide some comic relief. During this, Chulsik was muttering about how “there’s a war going on and we have more important things to worry about”.
Later, Chulsik has a conversation with a shaman in a powerful Disney villain-esque number. This is the song where he lays out that he’s very evil and talks about all his evil plans. My friend was shocked!
Overall, the strong performances and stunning outfits make this a really lovely musical that I would love to see again if I ever get the chance.
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