![A scene from the musical 'Frida: The Last Night Show' / Courtesy of EMK Musical Company](https://newsimg.koreatimes.co.kr/2024/07/23/5bf04450-0fa1-4721-a074-21e5e56b42f2.jpg)
A scene from the musical "Frida: The Last Night Show" / Courtesy of EMK Musical Company
The Korean musical "Frida: The Last Night Show," which offers a theatrical tribute to the iconic Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, is set to captivate audiences at the University of Southern California (USC) this fall.
The show will be staged at USC's Bing Theatre in Los Angeles on Sept. 6 as part of the Visions and Voices program, a renowned arts and humanities initiative at USC, marking its premiere in the United States.
Produced by Korea's EMK Musical Company, "Frida: The Last Night Show" interprets the final days of Frida Kahlo's life in a talk show format, reflecting on her challenges and triumphs through her art.
The narrative is brought to life by an all-women cast led by Sophie So-hyang Kim, portraying Frida. Jun Su-mi stars as Refleja, the talk show host embodying aspects of Frida's husband Diego Rivera, alongside Park Sun-young as Destino, symbolizing death, and Park Si-in as Memoria, representing Kahlo's younger self and her existence in a parallel universe.
![The Korean musical 'Frida: The Last Night Show' will make its U.S. premiere at the University of Southern California in September. Captured from USC's website](https://newsimg.koreatimes.co.kr/2024/07/23/a99f950b-0c18-405f-974f-34a3208c7413.png)
The Korean musical "Frida: The Last Night Show" will make its U.S. premiere at the University of Southern California in September. Captured from USC's website
In addition to the performance, there will be a panel discussion exploring the ethics of cross-cultural representation in art between the USC faculty and the creative team behind "Frida," including writer-director Choo Jung-hwa and producer Sophy Jiwon Kim.
"It is a meaningful opportunity to introduce the story of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, who dreamed of hope even in the face of cruel fate, to American audiences as a Korean original musical production," producer Kim said in anticipation of the show's U.S. premiere.
EMK is a renowned Korean musical production company with its original works including "Mata Hari" and "The Man Who Laughs."