"Phantom of The Opera" Tour in Korea on Halt Due to Coronavirus

"Phantom of The Opera" cast and crew started touring around South Korea in December of 2019, seven years after its last visit to Seoul. Winter even increased the elation of theatre lovers to see the world-class show and be in awe.

The international group started the first show in Dream Theater in Busan last December. They traveled to Blue Square in Seoul in March 2020 before their scheduled performance in Keimyung Art Center in Daegu, which is supposed to be in July of 2020..

The show featured a musical rendition by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart for the lyrics, in which he successfully opened in London's West End at Her Majesty's Theatre in 1986. They won many awards and of them is Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical and Tony Award for Best Musical. They have toured over 172 cities in 37 countries and entertained more than 145 million audiences. 

The show did very well in two months in Busan. They gained more praises amidst the pandemic. The next stop is Blue Square Interpark Hall in March until June, while the last stop is Daegu from July to August. 

Since the cast and crew are mostly foreign nationals, many showed apprehensions of their performance in Seoul.

"We feel confident that life will continue to go back to normal over here in the coming weeks. Thank you in advance to our audience members who continue to support us and for being so diligent in wearing masks and washing hands at the theatre," Calire Lyon posted in her social media account onMarch 16.

Recently, the organization decided to stop the show after one of the cast members showed symptoms, and when tested the result came out positive for COVID-19.

The cast member went into self-quarantine for several days and that was when few symptoms surfaced even though when he was checked, his body temperature was normal. He got the results last Tuesday and right away, the management suspended their scheduled upcoming shows, which was supposed to be on Wednesday. All of those who he had directly contacted are undergoing quarantine. 

"The performance venue was disinfected thoroughly. The cast, staff, and audience all wore masks and had their temperature monitored. The first row and the stage kept a two-meter distance and the cast and audience were limited from direct contact," spokesperson for the handling management in Korea. 

The performance is canceled for the coming 14 days or two weeks. Approximately, from April 1 to 14. The organizers are willing to refund the ticket that covers these dates. As of writing, no statements are released if shows will resume after the end of their quarantine since the tour in Seoul will end in June. 

The South Korean entertainment industry suffered many cancellations amid the pandemic. People are also hesitant to go out to comply with the "social distancing" rule. Although the government established the policy "support program," the constant postponement news is to aid the economic situation of performing arts. The Korean government set up a funding program for all the affected small and medium theater productions, and will give estimated 60 million won each.