Broadway production of KPOP to close due to low box office returns

The Broadway musical KPOP is closing due to poor returns at the box office after 17 standard performances following 44 previews.

The production, which includes K-pop stars such as Luna and BoHyung leading a cast of young performers, is set to hold its last show Sunday at Circle in the Square Theatre,

Last week the musical grossed $126,493 with a low average ticket price of $32, filling 72 percent of the seats at the venue.

The latest: The Broadway musical KPOP is closing due to poor returns at the box office after 17 standard performances following 44 previews. The show was pictured during an October preview performance 

KPOP began previews October 13, with its official opening date of November 27.

KPOP producers are offering 200 free tickets to AAPI community members and children for Sunday’s show, which will feature a post-musical panel with AAPI theater artists such as Tony Award-winning M. Butterfly playwright David Henry Hwang, Korean playwright Hansol Jung, performer Pun Bandhu and KPOP composer Helen Park.

Organizations such as AAPAC (Asian American Performers Action Coalition), Gold House, the Ma-Yi Theater Company and TAAF (The Asian American Foundation) are sponsoring the performance.

The musical, which was directed by Teddy Bergman, features a cast including Julia Abueva, Major Curda, Jinwoo Jung, Jiho Kang, Amy Keum, James Kho, Marina Kondo, Eddy Lee, Joshua Lee, Jully Lee, Lina Rose Lee, Timothy H. Lee, Abraham Lim, Min, Kate Mina Lin, Aubie Merrylees, Patrick Park, Zachary Noah Piser, Kevin Woo, and John Yi.

Park presided over the music production and arrangements and worked with Max Vernon on the music and lyrics, with Jennifer Weber on choreography.

KPOP producers said they were proud of becoming the first production on Broadway to showcase Korean stories penned by Korean artists while marking the Broadway debuts of 18 cast members of AAPI descent.

The closing comes amid news producers have accused The New York Times of publishing a ‘racist’ review that implied ‘white supremacy’.

New York Times theater critic Jesse Green was accused in an open letter of racism in his negative review of the production and asked to issue an apology.

The letter, written by KPOP producers Tim Forbes and Joey Parnes, claimed ‘astonishment’ at The Times’s casual racism and cultural insensitivity.

Most notably the producers attacked the critic for – a ‘particularly egregious example’ of cultural insensitivity, they said.

Green also suggested in his review that he struggled to understand significant parts of the musical that were in Korean. The producers criticized that comment and argued that the Korean dialogue always made sense in context.

New York Times theater critic Jesse Green (L) was accused in an open letter of racism in his negative review of the production and asked to issue an apology by producer Joey Parnes (R)

‘Is a Broadway show only valid if it is centered on and catering exclusively to a white, English-speaking audience?’ they wrote.  

Throughout the letter they claimed Green’s negativity towards the show was rooted in a general distaste for Korean culture and music, but in his review he said that an Off Broadway version of the same musical in 2017 was ‘far superior.’

In a response to the letter, The Times stood by the review, saying: ‘We saw the open letter written about The Times’s review of KPOP and quickly convened a discussion among editors and members of our standards department.

‘This group was in agreement that Jesse’s review was fair. More importantly, we wholly disagree with the argument that Jesse’s criticism is somehow racist.’

KPOP, which opened in November, tells the story of three KPOP acts, all managed by a major label, coming together to put on a concert that will introduce them to a US audience.

It features established KPOP artists – a point which the producers emphasized in their letter after Green said in his Times review: ‘If you are not a fan, you may feel worn out by the aggressive mimicry of the K-pop performance style.’

‘He characterizes the performance style collectively as “aggressive mimicry” – another ill-chosen, racially insensitive, and ultimately ignorant phrase. Four of the cast members are actual K-pop idols in Korea. They are “mimicking” nothing,’ the producers wrote.

One of the stars of the show, Abraham Lin, took to Instagram to express disappointment with Green’s review.

‘When you say squinty eye… you can find better words,’ Lin said in the video.

‘If you are not an Asian American that has been made fun of for their squinty eyes or their slanty eyes, I’m sorry, I don’t want to hear from you right now. You can take a seat,’ he added.

Viewers of the musical who read Green’s review also took to social media to offer their own opinions.

One Facebook user agreed with the producers that there was enough context that without speaking Korean it was still possible to follow what was going on.

Another criticized The Times for its lack of diversity. ‘They used to have a public advocate who could research and report on allegations of their reporting and editing failures but I think they got rid of that role,’ they said.

Many in The Times comment section came out in support of Green. ‘That an actor’s response to mild criticism is to accuse the reviewer of bigotry and bias is honestly concerning. These are serious accusations to level at someone just because they didn’t like your show.’