Musical actors Kim Sung-cheol (left) appearing in “Jekyll & Hyde” and Park Kang-hyun in “Hadestown” Courtesy of OD Company and S&Co

The top actors in Korean musicals are Cho Seung-woo, Hong Kwang-ho, Kim Jun-su, and Choi Jae-rim, and the top actresses are Ock Joo-hyun and Jeong Sun-ah. Since actors and actresses are the primary criteria for Korean audiences to choose a show, production companies focus on casting. Since the pool of actors and actresses is limited, overlapping appearances sometimes occur, which can lead to problems with their physical condition.

Who will be the next best actors and actresses to expand the pool? In the musical industry, Kim Sung-cheol (34), Park Kang-hyun (36), Kim Soo-ha (31), and Min Kyung-ah (32) are considered to be close to the top.

Kim Sung-cheol first moved up to the top level when he joined the 20th anniversary performance of “Jekyll & Hyde” in Korea. He is the youngest of the actors (Hong Kwang-ho, Shin Sung-rok, Jeon Dong-seok, Choi Jae-rim, Kim Sung-cheol) cast in the role of Jekyll and Hyde this season. Kim got a pass in both his explosive voice and his ability to move flexibly between the two sides of Jekyll and Hyde. He is boyishly cute when he plays Jekyll, while he shows the ferocity of a criminal driven to madness when he becomes Hyde. He has also appeared in films and TV series, such as “Troll Factory,” “The Old Woman with the Knife,” and “Hellbound Season 2” as a leading actor, and is considered the next Cho Seung-woo. “Kim gave validity to Jekyll’s anguish, which forced him to attempt dangerous experiments, with delicate acting,” an official of “Jekyll & Hyde” said. “The audiences who have watched his acting from the beginning believe that his skills have reached their peak with ‘Jekyll & Hyde.’”

Park Kang-hyun was cast as Aladdin along with Kim Jun-su and Seo Kyung-soo in the Disney masterpiece “Aladdin,” which is premiering in Korea. He expanded his fan base with roles in popular musicals, such as “Bare the Musical,” “Gwanghwamun Love Song,” “Kinky Boots,” and “The Man Who Laughs,” and last year cemented his status as a top-tier actor through “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Hadestown.” He has been praised as “an actor who didn’t stay unknown long enough to think that he could play the lead role in a big theater musical from the time he started acting in a small theater” (by Bae Kyeong-hee, director of production company Live) and “an actor who can be trusted because he is not lacking in everything, including acting, singing, and looks” (by Kang Min-jung, general manager of production company MBZ Company). An official of “Aladdin” said, “Like in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ and ‘Hadestown,’ he is good at playing the role of a boy or ‘herbivore man,’ but he is also good at playing any characters like a white drawing paper.”

Kim Soo-ha won the Best Actress award at the 9th Korea Musical Awards for her role in “Hadestown” on January 13. Unusually for a Korean actress, Kim made her debut as Ensemble and Cover of character Kim in the British West End musical “Miss Saigon” and later participated in the world tour as Kim. In Korea, she made her debut in 2019 in “Swag Age: Shout Out, Joseon!” and immediately appeared in large-scale musicals, such as “Rent,” “Aida,” and “Les Misérables” the following year. Bae Kyeong-hee said, “With ‘Miss Saigon,’ she has already made a name for herself among domestic producers. Thanks to her unique mask and singing skills, she immediately became the main character in a major musical.” Kim Soo-ha is “good at portraying “confident characters who strive to fulfill their dreams and don’t give in to the reality they are given. (by an official of “Tick, Tick… Boom!”)” These include Eurydice in “Hadestown”, Aida in “Aida,” and Susan in “Tick, Tick… Boom!”

Min Kyung-ah made her debut as Ensemble of “Agatha” in 2015 and has since established herself as an actress playing at big theaters with roles in “Bare the Musical,” “The Man Who Laughs,” “Jekyll & Hyde,” and “Aida.” Last year, she showed off her charm in “The Last 5 Years” and “Chicago,” and is currently starring in “Aladdin” as Princess Jasmine alongside actresses Lee Sung-kyung and Choi Ji-hye. An official of “Aladdin” said, “Featuring a clear and high tone voice, Min played a lot of pure and clear roles during her early years as an actresses, but recently she is also proficient in playing quirky and colorful characters like in ‘Chicago.’” Bae said, “If you compare them to characters in ‘Jekyll & Hyde,’ Kim Soo-ha is perfect for the passionate showgirl Lucy and Min Kyung-ah for the nobleman’s daughter Emma. They are the next generation of musical stars with opposite charms.”