The opening of the Tony Award-winning musical “Hadestown” in Korea has been postponed after 23 actors and staff tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
In a notice issued on Aug. 10, the production team behind “Hadestown” announced that the opening of the musical in Korea has been postponed from Aug. 24 to Sept. 7.
On Aug. 5, K-pop boy band EXO member Xiumin, 31, who will play the role of Orpheus in the musical, was confirmed to be positive for COVID-19 after undergoing PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test.
According to the musical team, all the actors and staff who stayed in the same space with Xiumin have been quarantined since Aug. 5.
After Xiumin, musical actor Choi Jae-rim, who will play the role of Hermes in “Hadestown,” tested positive for the virus on Aug. 9.
Additional tests were conducted from Aug. 7 to 9 and according to the production team, 23 people have been confirmed to be positive for COVID-19 as of Aug. 10.
They said the team has faithfully followed guidelines on wearing masks and quarantine during rehearsals. From July 29 to 31, they said, 200 actors and staff underwent PCR tests and their results were negative.
After discussions with the original production and creative teams, it was decided to postpone the opening in Korea to Sept. 7.
“We would like to express our apologies once again for causing concern to the audience who showed great anticipation and interest in ‘Hadestown,’ which will premiere in Korea,” the production team said.
"Hadestown" was originally set to run in Korea from Aug. 24 to Feb. 27 next year.
On Aug. 10, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported that 1,540 new COVID-19 have been confirmed in South Korea to bring the total to 213,987.