Last Updated on October 2, 2025
Top performances in this one-night Korean musical extravaganza
4.0 out of 5.0 starsHaving won several awards at the Korean Musical Awards, Swag Age came exuberantly to London on the 8th September for a special one-night-only presentation ‘in concert’ at the Gillian Lynne Theatre.
The show is performed entirely in Korean with English subtitles, with a book & lyrics by Chan-Min Park and music & lyrics by Jeong-Yeon Lee. Swag Age is set in a fictional version of the Joseon Dynasty (Korea’s last Imperial Dynasty that ended in 1910). The central theme is a classic one, with oppressed citizens using a subversive art form to rebel against their rulers. Yet it’s one with contemporary. This is Swag Age’s power and beauty: it’s a creative collaboration between the old and the new, combining differing cultural references.
The story starts shortly after a new, young king ascends to the throne following his father’s assassination. To mark the start of the new regime and to quash questions about the old king’s death, the powerful prime minister, the corrupt Hongguk (Lim Hyun Su), bans the nation’s most beloved form of poetic expression – Sijo, a witty, joyful and contemplative combination of rhythmic lyrics and movement used to entertain, inform and satirise society.
A wave of melancholy falls over the people. How can they have hope for change if they are not allowed to enjoy and express themselves? But all is not lost. Jin, an enigmatic young woman and natural leader, teaches her villagers Sijo in secret. And Jin has allies: the Golbin Gang, a mischievous, merry band of masked Sijo activists determined to spread hope to the peasants and challenge the regime.
Meanwhile, the story’s hero, Dan (Jan Hae Jun), is an arrogant young man who rejects conformity. An orphan, his father was deemed a traitor for speaking out against the oppression of the people through the banning of Sijo. Dan has created his own unique, edgier form of Sijo, which he’s proud of, but no one seems to get it, and it’s illegal for them to hear it anyway. At first, Dan mocks the Golbin Gang, but throughout the story, he learns that there is power in numbers, both numerically and figuratively, and he, Jin and the Golbin Gang travel to the palace to secretly perform in the king’s Sijo contest. But is the competition a trap to find the dissenters? Throughout the storyline, Jin (Kim Soo Ha) provides the moral centre, with poignancy and determination, while Yang Hee Jun as Dan is charismatic and boyish.
Although it’s billed as ‘in concert’, Swag Age is for all intents and purposes a musical, albeit one that was staged for the night on another show’s partial set. Despite this, the production values were as high, if not higher, than those of any show on the West End, with Lee Woo Hyung’s lighting subtly and expertly shifting the mood and tone. The costumes were beautiful, fusing hanbok and modernity, allowing freedom of movement whilst signifying each character’s personality and social standing. The overall standard of the performances was sublime, with the cast’s discipline, training and skill being highly evident. The choreography by Kim Eun Chong is brilliant. There was perfect synchronisation in the group numbers, the cast moving powerfully but also with a lightness of touch.
The blending of the old and new is best exemplified in group numbers performed by the Golbin Gang, who fuse traditional Korean operatic notes and fan and mask dances alongside the hip-hop beats and moves we’re familiar with through K-pop. By doing this, the Golbin Gang demonstrate how they and the people don’t want to lose the ancient cultural traditions of their country, but that they want to use them as a starting point for creative and cultural change and, importantly, as an expression of joy. And joyous their numbers are, with a cheeky playfulness and occasionally searing wit.
In contrast to this, one of the best songs in Swag Age was a powerful and beautiful duet between a daughter and father performed by Jin (Kim Soo Ha) and Hongguk (Lim Hyun Su), whose voice had an astoundingly gorgeous timbre and depth. It was a classic musical theatre set piece: a father’s desire to control out of love and their adult child’s wish to break out from their confines.
Swag Age had been cut down in length for this performance specifically, and this may be a factor in why the pacing was off. At times it was too slow, but then the ending seemed to come a bit too quickly, and there’s a loose end I would have liked tied up. The cast’s bows were a delight, however, with a song and dance involving the audience clapping along and chanting ‘oh-ee-oh’, a lovely short speech from Yang Hee Jun and each performer ending their time on stage with a signature flourish of their fan.
Another in-built issue is that while Korean is a very emotive language, and Korean storytelling is known for its melodrama, the translation of the at-times lengthy dialogue was often too basic. It was clear that nuance was being lost. There was, however, a laugh from the audience when a very British insult was used by one character to describe another. As my companion said to me, some words are universal. Reading the screens with the subtitles placed at either side of the stage took your gaze somewhat away from the performers, though this would be easy to fix with surtitles, should Swag Age come back for a full production in its own theatre in London. Hopefully, it will, as with some editing to the pacing and translation, it would be a great hit. Judging by the audience, the show already has a loyal following here in London. If, or rather when, Swag Age returns, make sure you go. Not only will you experience unusual Korean art forms and top-notch performances, you’ll leave smiling.
166 Drury Lane,
West End
London
WC2B 5PW
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