The masterpiece best known for the Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal film is set to hit the Korean stage for the first time as a music drama.
On the 30th, production company New Production announced the premiere of the music drama Brokeback Mountain, adapted from Annie Proulx’s short story of the same name, and unveiled its casting lineup.
Brokeback Mountain follows Ennis and Jack, two men who share a harsh, lonely summer in the mountains in 1963 and are swept up in unexpected feelings. Unable to fully be themselves under the era’s oppression and a conservative social gaze, they spend 20 years cycling between brief reunions and long stretches of yearning — a piercing journey of life and love that the production promises to render with gripping intensity on stage. Uniquely, the show takes a music drama format in which music directly drives the narrative, offering a different allure and emotional depth from conventional musicals.
To portray the passage of time, the role of Ennis — famously brought to life by Heath Ledger — will be split between two actors. The middle-aged Ennis will be played by Jung Sang-hoon and Lee Sang-hong, while the younger Ennis will be portrayed by Joo Min-jin and Hong Seung-an, all delivering nuanced, introspective performances. The role of Jack Twist — played on screen by Jake Gyllenhaal — goes to Jung Hwi and Yoon So-ho.
The supporting cast is just as compelling. Min Sung-wook and Jung Myung-goon will play Joe Aguirre, the sheep ranch owner; Jeon Jae-hee and Choi Ha-yoon will portray Alma, Ennis’s wife. In addition, Lee Young-mi and Moon Hye-won take on the Balladeer, a role that conveys the show’s emotional core through music, enriching the stage even further.
Fans reacted with excitement to the casting news, saying, "I’m thrilled that my all-time favorite film is coming as a music drama," and, "The film is such a classic that I can’t even imagine how it’ll be interpreted on stage."
Meanwhile, Brokeback Mountain will run from June 23 to September 6.