Two stars of the international-hit rock musical, “Amadeus: Mozart, L’ Opera Rock” are teaming up for a live duo concert series in Korea this summer.
Italy-native Mikelangelo Loconte and French musical star Laurent Ban recently wrapped up the Seoul run of “Amadeus,” the first time the production was performed by its original French cast here. The duo is scheduled to hold eight shows from June 30 to July 5 at the KT&G Sangsang Art Hall in Seoul.
“Korean fans are unlike fans anywhere else in the world I think,” said Loconte during a press showcase at a cafe in Daehangno on Friday.
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Musical stars Laurent Ban (back) and Mikelangelo Loconte perform at a cafe in Daehangno on Friday during a press showcase for their upcoming live concert series in Seoul that kicks off in June. (Yonhap) |
“Koreans have such respect and concentration for the music and what is being sung, every night I performed in ‘Amadeus’ I could feel the fans’ passion. ... I’m excited to be able to perform in front of them again with Laurent,” he added. “When we are together, we are crazy so to speak and I think the Korean audience will love the energy and the synergy that we will create when we are together.”
Despite the two having a respectable fan base in Korea as musical stars, Ban came under fire on social media last month when it was reported that the singer had made a racist remark during a production party for the “Amadeus” musical. Ban had used the term “Ching, Chang, Chong” during a toast, offending a number of his local colleagues. He, along with Mast Entertainment, later issued an official apology for his remark.
“Once again I would like to apologize for my remark. I never meant to offend anyone. ... I love Asia and have made many Asian friends over the years,” Ban says.
“I’ve performed all over the world in musicals, but I must say that I’ve never been to a place quite like Korea,” he said. “I’ve performed here with ‘Notre Dame de Paris’ and ‘Amadeus’ and felt such a strong connection with the local fans, and asked Mikelangelo and our publicists to create an event that would allow us to get closer to our Korean fans.”
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Official poster for Mikelangelo Loconte and Laurent Ban’s upcoming live concert series. (To Heaven Entertainment) |
The upcoming concert will feature both duets and solo performances by the two artistes with a diverse set list that includes songs from the “Amadeus” musical as well as Jason Derulo, Prince and Michael Bolton numbers
Tickets are 100,000 won. For more information, call (02) 547-9199.
By Julie Jackson (
juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)
