“KPOP” is a High-Energy Musical that Falls Flat

The Cast of “KPOP” I Photo by Matthew Murphy.

The opinions reflected in this OpEd are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, faculty and students of The King's College.

A new genre of music debuts on Broadway this season at the Circle in the Square Theatre in the form of “KPOP,” a musical inspired by the cultural phenomenon of Korean dance and pop music. The genre has become a worldwide sensation in recent years, and now Broadway is looking to cash in on tourists looking for a less-traditional Broadway show. While “KPOP” is full of the energetic dancing and singing that has come to define K-pop, the musical lacks a clear, compelling storyline and generally falls flat when the dancing stops.

“KPOP” is about the New York City debut of three K-pop acts from a new Korean label. RTMIS is a five-member female singing group obsessed with perfection at all costs, F8 is a larger male group struggling with the departure of one of their members and his American replacement who isn’t getting along with the group’s leader. The third act is solo artist, MwE, a young woman who has struggled with fame, her parents leaving her and her “adoption” by the pop label’s founder, Ruby. “KPOP” chronicles a filmed dress rehearsal of a joint concert between these three acts. What begins as a normal taping quickly falls apart as tensions within both singing groups and between MwE and her adoptive mother/producer erupt.

About half of “KPOP’s” running time is spent in high-energy, perfectly choreographed musical numbers while the other half is focused on the narrative of each group’s difficulties. While the music of “KPOP” is fun and entertaining to watch, most of it doesn’t contribute to the many narrative arcs of the show, leaving the musical’s writer, Helen Park, with very little time to help us connect with her characters and understand the weight of their conflict. In trying to tell the stories of many different characters and capitalize on the revenue stream that is K-pop music, the musical isn’t able to perfect any of those elements.

“KPOP” isn’t without a few redemptive aspects: the show features a talented ensemble that do the best with what the show’s creative team have given them. “KPOP” features real-life K-pop star, Luna as MwE, Jully Lee as Ruby (a standout in the cast) and “Dear Evan Hansen” alum Zachary Noah Piser as Brad, F8’s new American singer. “KPOP” also performs well in a short series of touching songs performed by MwE in flashbacks to the start of her career in Seoul—the show’s mistake is not expanding this storyline to a much larger role in the musical.

It remains to be seen whether “KPOP” can attract the K-pop-obsessed audience it needs for a successful run on Broadway. The show is a unique and different approach to musical theater, but it makes plenty of mistakes that prevent it from being a great show. For now, “KPOP” is probably worth skipping.

KPOP is currently running at the Circle in the Square Theatre through Dec. 11, 2022.

Eli Johnson is the Theatre Columnist for the Empire State Tribune. He is a freshman at The King's College majoring in Business. He is an avid theatre-goer and always enjoys a game of chess.