Kpop the Musical: Part 2
Dec. 1st, 2022 12:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kpopwinemomThis is going to be messy!
First, it was announced today that the musical will be getting a full soundtrack in late February. Thank God, because I need it in my hot little hands basically immediately. My top played track of the month has been the tv clip of My Korea, which as I have stated...isn't even my favorite song from the show. I couldn't tell you with certainty what my favorite was, because I haven't been able to relisten since we saw it a month ago, but that award probably goes to the Rtemis jam Gin and Tonic.
Anyway, it's important to start out with the good things, because this isn't going to be a glowing review.
So to get it out of the way: I loved this show. I had a FABULOUS time at this show. I booked tickets as soon as they were available to me, I bought a sweatshirt, I dm'd performers to tell them how great they were, I have obsessively been following all their reviews, social media, promotions. I would see this show again, if I didn't have to fly two hours north to see it.
But the reviews are actually making me feel insane.
We live in the era of glowing reviews. If you write something Not Glowing, you get dragged. We have no room for "this is great but it could be better", no room for "I loved it but it's not perfect," - no room for "this isn't for everyone." We have extremes, all the time.
And this is quite simply, not an extremely good musical. It had extremely good music. It had extremely good choreography. It had mostly good costuming. It had really, really good performances.
And it has very, very minimal plot. And this is absolutely not addressed in any of the coverage.
The plot at the core is really good: to summarize: RBY Entertainment is launching their first US Expo. There will be a performance from established artist Mwe, and debut performances from girl group Rtemis, and boygroup f8. Mwe, after having done what CEO Ruby wanted from her for years, wants to make her own path: have a boyfriend AND sing her own songs. Boygroup F8 is struggling with cohesion among the members, particularly mixed-race member Brad and the leader, played by Kevin Woo. I don't know his name. Girl group Rtemis is nervous about their debut.
And here is where we have issues: I KNOW Brad's story. I know Mwe's story. But we actually don't get into either narrative until act 2. In act 1, we see a bunch of freaking incredible performances, learn Mwe's name and see her childhood (key: we do not see anything about what she wants NOW, which is a major issue, character development and pacing-wise). It's not until act 2 when we learn Mwe has a boyfriend and wants to write her own songs, or that Brad feels disconnected from his groupmates, or that Rtemis is nervous.
Furthermore: Brad and F8? That's about two scenes. There isn't enough time to really delve into their issues. His storyline feels like a sprint: we learn Brad isn't getting along with the guys, he sings a song about it, they fight, the fight is resolved, they GO OFF STAGE AND DO NOT COME BACK UNTIL THE 30 MINUTE ENDING CONCERT. That's it. That's the touching story about race, belonging, and identity. It is touching! It is an important story to tell! It gets nowhere near enough time to really sweep the audience away in a torrent of emotion.
With Rtemis...genuinely I did not know their names until I looked at the playbook. While I loved the girls and their performances, their story was a blip. It had no emotional resonance. It was funny, and they had some of the best lines, but it had no baring on anything else happening.
That was another major issue with the show: all three acts exist in isolation, like they are in a bubble. No storyline really has any impact on the other three, and honestly, Rtemis doesn't have a storyline at all.
There are a lot of elements in Kpop the Musical that are REALLY, REALLY good. There is a good story there! I just wish the audience had more time to take in the story, and not just attend a concert.
And this is where I am a little frustrated: right now, if something is the first in it's genre, it isn't allowed to fail or to be anything other than perfect. Kpop, by virtue of being the first Kpop musical and the first majorly Asian show on broadway, has to be a perfect show. There is no room for anything less.
But it's not a perfect show - and it's not for everyone. As much as the writers insist this is the show to bridge the gap between kpop fans and the musical going population...it's not. If you aren't going to have a good time listening to kpop music and vibing, you're gonna be a little lost. You're gonna be a little bored.
I think that's ok! We should acknowledge these things, instead of insisting that Kpop is a perfect musical for everyone: it's just not.
Honestly, I do hope it gets workshopped a little longer! I hope they integrate the stories more, and give each one the space it needs to really show. And I don't know, maybe they changed it again since we saw it in October and it opened in November.
But what I really don't want is to give the show more credit then it deserves. It frustrates me to say this about something that I so soundly enjoyed, but I am so frustrated with these overhyped reviews.
Kpop isn't the only thing I've seen this trend with, by the way, but it's something I currently love a lot and have been following closely, so it's what I am talking about.
So yes. I LOVED Kpop the Musical. I think if you love Kpop, you will ALSO love Kpop the Musical. If you are going because you want to see a majority Asian broadway show, you might have a good time. If you are going because you want to see a moving story - well. That You'll get some of it, but not to the extent Kpop the Musical wants you to think you will.
EDIT: Ace has told me most of the reviews that they have read have been more negative/balanced so maybe I need to stop reading reviews I find via their promotional team like an obsessive. I do stand by that the art of critique is being lost because of fan anger, though.
First, it was announced today that the musical will be getting a full soundtrack in late February. Thank God, because I need it in my hot little hands basically immediately. My top played track of the month has been the tv clip of My Korea, which as I have stated...isn't even my favorite song from the show. I couldn't tell you with certainty what my favorite was, because I haven't been able to relisten since we saw it a month ago, but that award probably goes to the Rtemis jam Gin and Tonic.
Anyway, it's important to start out with the good things, because this isn't going to be a glowing review.
So to get it out of the way: I loved this show. I had a FABULOUS time at this show. I booked tickets as soon as they were available to me, I bought a sweatshirt, I dm'd performers to tell them how great they were, I have obsessively been following all their reviews, social media, promotions. I would see this show again, if I didn't have to fly two hours north to see it.
But the reviews are actually making me feel insane.
We live in the era of glowing reviews. If you write something Not Glowing, you get dragged. We have no room for "this is great but it could be better", no room for "I loved it but it's not perfect," - no room for "this isn't for everyone." We have extremes, all the time.
And this is quite simply, not an extremely good musical. It had extremely good music. It had extremely good choreography. It had mostly good costuming. It had really, really good performances.
And it has very, very minimal plot. And this is absolutely not addressed in any of the coverage.
The plot at the core is really good: to summarize: RBY Entertainment is launching their first US Expo. There will be a performance from established artist Mwe, and debut performances from girl group Rtemis, and boygroup f8. Mwe, after having done what CEO Ruby wanted from her for years, wants to make her own path: have a boyfriend AND sing her own songs. Boygroup F8 is struggling with cohesion among the members, particularly mixed-race member Brad and the leader, played by Kevin Woo. I don't know his name. Girl group Rtemis is nervous about their debut.
And here is where we have issues: I KNOW Brad's story. I know Mwe's story. But we actually don't get into either narrative until act 2. In act 1, we see a bunch of freaking incredible performances, learn Mwe's name and see her childhood (key: we do not see anything about what she wants NOW, which is a major issue, character development and pacing-wise). It's not until act 2 when we learn Mwe has a boyfriend and wants to write her own songs, or that Brad feels disconnected from his groupmates, or that Rtemis is nervous.
Furthermore: Brad and F8? That's about two scenes. There isn't enough time to really delve into their issues. His storyline feels like a sprint: we learn Brad isn't getting along with the guys, he sings a song about it, they fight, the fight is resolved, they GO OFF STAGE AND DO NOT COME BACK UNTIL THE 30 MINUTE ENDING CONCERT. That's it. That's the touching story about race, belonging, and identity. It is touching! It is an important story to tell! It gets nowhere near enough time to really sweep the audience away in a torrent of emotion.
With Rtemis...genuinely I did not know their names until I looked at the playbook. While I loved the girls and their performances, their story was a blip. It had no emotional resonance. It was funny, and they had some of the best lines, but it had no baring on anything else happening.
That was another major issue with the show: all three acts exist in isolation, like they are in a bubble. No storyline really has any impact on the other three, and honestly, Rtemis doesn't have a storyline at all.
There are a lot of elements in Kpop the Musical that are REALLY, REALLY good. There is a good story there! I just wish the audience had more time to take in the story, and not just attend a concert.
And this is where I am a little frustrated: right now, if something is the first in it's genre, it isn't allowed to fail or to be anything other than perfect. Kpop, by virtue of being the first Kpop musical and the first majorly Asian show on broadway, has to be a perfect show. There is no room for anything less.
But it's not a perfect show - and it's not for everyone. As much as the writers insist this is the show to bridge the gap between kpop fans and the musical going population...it's not. If you aren't going to have a good time listening to kpop music and vibing, you're gonna be a little lost. You're gonna be a little bored.
I think that's ok! We should acknowledge these things, instead of insisting that Kpop is a perfect musical for everyone: it's just not.
Honestly, I do hope it gets workshopped a little longer! I hope they integrate the stories more, and give each one the space it needs to really show. And I don't know, maybe they changed it again since we saw it in October and it opened in November.
But what I really don't want is to give the show more credit then it deserves. It frustrates me to say this about something that I so soundly enjoyed, but I am so frustrated with these overhyped reviews.
Kpop isn't the only thing I've seen this trend with, by the way, but it's something I currently love a lot and have been following closely, so it's what I am talking about.
So yes. I LOVED Kpop the Musical. I think if you love Kpop, you will ALSO love Kpop the Musical. If you are going because you want to see a majority Asian broadway show, you might have a good time. If you are going because you want to see a moving story - well. That You'll get some of it, but not to the extent Kpop the Musical wants you to think you will.
EDIT: Ace has told me most of the reviews that they have read have been more negative/balanced so maybe I need to stop reading reviews I find via their promotional team like an obsessive. I do stand by that the art of critique is being lost because of fan anger, though.
