The show begins with a thud as the actors introduce their motive in the form of a repetitive melodious singing. The flag of preindependent Korea is seen waving in the background as the actors line up and dissolve in front of the audience with the musical cues.
As the show progresses, we become familiar with 안중근, our hero, and his dream of freeing Korea from Japanese imperialism. With the music coming to an end and with that so does their singing, we are surprised by a scene of the actors cutting off their ring fingers as a pledge towards attaining the dream.
The show is full of emotional variants, light moments of joy with the street food seller and heavy sad moments at the end of the performance as the protagonist is executed by the Japanese army. Another unique characteristic is the use of multiple actors for the same role. This was necessary to maintain a fluid and sound progression of the show, albeit of any mishap or random events that may occur. The stage lighting, audio quality and visual effects were at par with some of the world's best musicals. The scene of the running train was especially a very well executed one.
Right after the intermission, the performance takes a completely different turn. From the light singing and merry love making in the beginning, we see an inclination towards seriousness and maturity towards achieving the goal. Our hero, 안중근, is shown smuggling in a weapon during the king's parade and subsequently assassins the Japanese emperor. A bewildered audience surrounded me at this instant while I tried to make heads with the issue. Our hero is captured and taken over by the Japanese army who then execute him by hanging him. This was the end of the performance, a start of an era for the Korean independence fighters and the time for me to satisfy my hungry stomach. The show lasted for 3 hours with an intermission of 20 minutes.
