K-Musical to Make Its World Premiere in New York; Producer Shin Chun-soo Pushes Ahead with “The Grand Delusion” on the Front Lines

[Financial News] Shin Chun-soo, CEO of OD Company, who achieved notable success on Broadway with the musical “The Great Gatsby,” is teaming up with “The Lion King” director Julie Taymor to present a new work, “The Grand Delusion.”
According to OD Company on the 5th, “The Grand Delusion” will have its world premiere at the Harvey Theater at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in New York, United States, from May 11 to June 6, 2027.

“The Grand Delusion” is based on German writer Thomas Mann’s novel “The Transposed Heads.” It reimagines the source, which draws on Indian mythology, as a fantasy musical moving between contemporary New York, India, and a mythological world. In a past interview, Julie Taymor explained that she first presented the story as a dance drama and has since developed it into a musical.
Taymor, who is directing the production, won Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Musical and Best Costume Design for “The Lion King.” She is known for distinctive staging, including the use of puppets and actors’ movements to portray the motions of animals. The music is by composer Elliot Goldenthal, who won an Academy Award for his work on the film “Frida.” According to OD Company, the collaboration began when Taymor and Goldenthal proposed the project to Shin. BAM, the venue for the premiere, is a leading New York performing arts institution that has consistently presented experimental productions.

Shin broadened the foundation for his international work with “The Great Gatsby,” for which he oversaw the planning, development, and production. The show opened on Broadway in April 2024 and passed 1,000 performances last September. At the time, it had drawn a cumulative audience of 1.34 million and generated approximately 190 billion won in revenue.
At a press conference on the 3rd for his new work “Wuthering Heights,” Shin also explained that the success of “The Great Gatsby” had led to follow-up projects with American theaters. “Our goal is to create global creative intellectual property (IP),” he said. Next year, starting with “Wuthering Heights” in Seoul, he plans to stage “August Rush” and “The Grand Delusion” one after another in the United States.
“Wuthering Heights,” which will have its world premiere in Seoul next January, is a stage adaptation of British writer Emily Brontë’s novel of the same name. It depicts the passionate love, obsession, and revenge of Catherine and Heathcliff. “August Rush,” set to be presented at the Old Globe in San Diego next March, is based on the film of the same name and tells the story of a musically gifted boy searching for the parents he has been separated from.
Shin also spoke that day about the difficulties caused by rising production and performance operating costs. Although it is difficult for box-office success to translate directly into profit, he sees the experience and trust built up while creating works as assets for his next challenge. “Ultimately, I believe we have to compete on the strength of the work itself,” he said.
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