Korea's representative original musical Laundry marks its 20th anniversary with a special stage commemorating the long journey shared with audiences who have loved Laundry: the musical Laundry 20th anniversary concert.
Gathering the actors who wrote the work's history together in one place to sing 20 years of emotion and memories, this stage features actor Lee Jeong-eun, who participated in the early production and showed deeper affection for the work than anyone; actor Kim Hee-won, who declared himself Laundry's guardian angel and has long served as a steadfast supporter; Jeong Moon-seong, who began as the supporting role Nassim (currently the character Michael) and the following year transformed into the leading role Solongo; and Kwak Seon-young, Lee Gyu-hyung, Kim Ji-hoon (Liberante), Hong Ji-hee, and Noh Hee-chan, who breathed with Laundry through multiple seasons.
Also joining are Bae Du-hun and Kang Yeon-jeong, who formed special ties through Laundry; Park Ji-yeon, who lent her voice to the official Laundry OST album; legends such as Kim Ji-hoon, Shim Woo-seong, and Han Woo-yeol, who have surpassed 1,000 individual Laundry performances; and the solid performers who have recently steadfastly upheld the Laundry stage — Jo Young-im, Yang Mi-kyung, Park Jon Jeong-min, Yeon Seung-a, Lee Yoon-seong, Oh Joo-eon, and Choi Hyun-hee — together creating a fantastic harmony that spans generations.
At this concert, audiences can newly experience Laundry's long-loved music. With a nine-piece orchestra and a choir featuring Laundry actors themselves added to the warm, familiar melodies that have comforted audiences, the numbers will be expanded into a more three-dimensional and dramatic sound. The orchestra's rich textures and the choir's resonance will merge to more deeply touch audiences with Laundry's warmth and message of consolation.
In addition, special videos never seen on the musical stage, along with majestic concert-scale sound, lighting and stage direction, will create the most special way to experience Laundry's history. From colorful stages featuring special guests to the special awards ceremony that captures 20 years, the Laundry Awards, the special staging and various segments prepared for this performance will offer audiences an even newer experience.
The Laundry archive, which holds 20 years of memories and records, and behind-the-scenes talks from the creative team that have never been revealed anywhere else are also not to be missed. Through various stages that revisit memories of the creative team, the cast, and the audience, the concert richly captures the 20-year footprint.
Laundry, which premiered in early 2005 at the National Theater's Byeoloreum Theater, is a work that captures the sorrows and hopes of small-town citizens living away from home, set in a small neighborhood on the outskirts of Seoul. The modest story depicting neighborly affection and solidarity blossoming amid a hard life has offered audiences empathy and consolation and has run without stopping for 20 years. In its first year, 2005, it won the 11th Korea Musical Awards lyricist/book award, and it went on to win the book, lyric and composition awards at the 4th The Musical Awards in 2010, and the grand prize at the 6th Yegreen Musical Awards in 2017.
Choi Se-yeon, CEO of CH Subak Co., Ltd., who planned this concert, said, "I believe the strength that allowed the show, which began in a small theater, to continue under the open-run title for 20 years and reach about 7,000 performances comes from the audiences who have loved musical Laundry unchanged across generations. Through the concert theme '20 years of records and emotion,' we aim to express our gratitude with a new and rich stage." Based on its ties running Laundry tour performances together since 2022, Haneul ENT Co., Ltd., which is co-producing this 20th anniversary concert, left a message: "We are delighted to be part of Laundry's 20th anniversary special stage. We will return with a stage that allows memories of Laundry to be remembered more deeply."
The musical Laundry 20th anniversary concert will be held Nov. 8 and 9, 2025, at Olympic Park Woori Financial Art Hall.
[Photo] OSEN DB
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