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Indonesians wooed by South Korean opera ‘The Wedding Day’
“Spring sneaks in like a thief!” a female servant belts out onstage, “It stole the winter, and it stole my heart, too.”
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Destined love: Ippuni (left) and Mi-Eon embrace as their characters' story draws to an end during the South Korean opera “The Wedding Day“ on May 15, 2024, at Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta. (Korean Cultural Center Indonesia/-)
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pring days, and the stealing of young hearts in love, were the backdrop of The Wedding Day, a loving South Korean theatrical play by New Seoul Opera performed on May 15 and 16 at Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta.
The Wedding Day has been New Seoul Opera’s prominent project for the last few years and has been performed in China, Vietnam, Thailand and various countries across Europe.
While Jakarta’s most prominent art center has seen thousands of performances gracing its stage, South Korean plays have been few and far between, especially an original opera that was adapted from a classic story from that country.
Indonesia is one of the biggest consumers of Korean content and culture. Over 270 million people in the archipelago have enjoyed the Korean “Hallyu” wave since the early 2000s, which has only intensified over the years.
For a nation that craves Korean entertainment, from its music to its TV series, what could then satisfy an Indonesian audience better than a love story; the beating heart of K-dramas fawned over across the archipelago?
The excitement was palpable in the evening air on Taman Ismail Marzuki’s biggest stage during the opera’s opening night on May 15. Over 100 people comprising both Indonesians and Koreans flocked to the theater and sat side-by-side in anticipation.
