The musical play <Brokeback Mountain> runs from June 23, 2026 to September 6, 2026 at YES24 Art One, Hall 1. Based on Annie Proulx's short story of the same name, the production features a book by Ashley Robinson and music by Dan Gillespie Sells. Widely known through Ang Lee's film adaptation, <Brokeback Mountain> is staged here as a memory play in which a middle-aged Ennis looks back on the most intense and vivid period of his life. Though middle-aged Ennis has relatively few lines, he remains onstage from the pre-show all the way through to the final curtain, holding the audience's gaze through the actor's exceptional command of facial expression.
The cast for the performance I attended featured Jung Sang-hoon as middle-aged Ennis, Hong Seung-an as Ennis, Yoon So-ho as Jack, Choi Ha-yoon as Alma, Jung Myung-gun as Joe, and Moon Hye-won as Aguirre. When Jung Sang-hoon's eyes found Jack, they shone with the pure joy of a man rediscovering his first love; when he turned away from Alma, even the line of his back — with his face hidden from view — conveyed a weight of guilt and remorse that was impossible to miss. The two performers I found myself watching most closely were Yoon So-ho as Jack and Choi Ha-yoon as Alma. Yoon brought a rebellious yet free-spirited energy to the young Jack, while Choi rendered the wounded, love-scarred Alma with striking acting ability and crisp diction — both left a deep impression. Moon Hye-won as Aguirre, true to her background as a band vocalist, played her instrument and sang simultaneously, and in doing so she underscored the production's distinctly organic, natural atmosphere and made it unmistakably clear why this work is a musical play rather than a straight drama.
Rather than attempting to physically recreate the sweeping visual spectacle of the Rocky Mountains as seen in the film, the direction conveys everything through the actors' gazes, the ragged sound of their breathing, and shifts between cold and warm light. This approach fires the audience's imagination and embodies the minimalist sensibility that is uniquely theatre's own.
Perhaps because I hadn't seen the original film, I was caught slightly off guard by content that was more explicit than I'd expected — but sitting with it afterward, I came to understand clearly that this production possesses a beauty entirely its own. The musical play <Brokeback Mountain> demonstrates the power of music and silence alike. What did it mean to you?
