Family is not always blood. It is what you make it to be and that is exactly what EQUAL The Musical is about.
Produced by SHINSWAVE, the musical was presented by Meta Theater and simultaneously streamed by Golden Village in Singapore. On August 13, The Seoul Story attended the special musical screening starring VICTON Kang Seung Sik and Lim Se Jun as Theo and Nicola respectively.
Set in 17th century Europe, a rural village is ailing with Black Death and witch hunts. Theo and Nicola have been best friends since they were children and live together in a small cabin. Diagnosed with an unknown and incurable disease, Nicola is locked inside the house, while Theo is a doctor who works at the village hospital, struggling to cure his sick friend.
One day, Theo finds an alchemy book at the town’s antique store and becomes hopeful he could cure Nicola’s disease with the mysterious ancient teachings. But as Nicola’s death approaches, the two friends start to behave in bizarre ways and are soon engulfed in a strange madness.
Sectioned by different chapters, the musical continuously portrayed the passionate friendship between the characters. On the surface, it was heartening to see genuine acceptance and dedication between the two. Especially in a period of uncertainty, they understood the importance of each other’s existence as they willingly supported one another.
But even the closest friendships can break at times. When Theo was fed with information that went against reality, he began questioning what was perceived as the truth. Anger and confusion began to cloud his mind as he seeked an explanation from Nicola. Resentment grew deeper within when Theo was told of the decades long experiment in recreating various versions of themselves to rewrite history and avoid death. Alas, the characters then began to fall out due to the deception and uncontrolled rage that was consuming them. While it could be seen as a brave attempt for an everlasting camaraderie, it was also undeniably a desperate cynical attempt to avoid the truth. Despite the years of betrayal, emotions were soothed and broken hearts were mended. Eventually, Theo and Nicola embraced their current destiny to finally put things to an end.
As a first time viewer of the musical, we were thoroughly impressed by VICTON Kang Seung Sik and Lim Se Jun in their stable delivery throughout the two hour show. The duo showed great skills in both acting and singing while presenting raw emotions with each musical number. Their ability to completely immerse into their respective characters allowed the viewers to fully connect with the storyline as the show progressed.
The most impactful scenes for us were those where Seung Sik and Se Jun had to convey immense anger and jealousy when things took a turn in their friendship. Their facial expressions spoke a thousand words and were sharply communicated to the audience. Acting out each scene with such professionalism, it is hard to believe that they are newcomers in the musical industry. Another memorable moment was their inclusion of ad-libs towards the end of their performance as they sneakily yet adorably showered the audience with finger hearts and little giggles when Seung Sik refused to drink the glass of water offered by Se Jun. Their naturally pleasant chemistry on stage was charming to see and certainly added their own unique flavour to the show.
With full focus on just the two of them on stage, all-rounders VICTON Kang Seung Sik and Lim Se Jun undoubtedly stole the show and demonstrated that idols are more than just pretty faces. With the right opportunity to shine and show their true capabilities beyond just K-Pop, they have successfully exceeded expectations as performers with EQUAL The Musical.
We would like to extend our huge thank you to Golden Village for extending the media invite to The Seoul Story!
Written by: Lisa
Photos by: SHINSWAVE
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