Ari Arari (아리 아라리) Adelaide Fringe 2023 Review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars for a contemporary re-enactment of a traditional past-time, for everyone to enjoy regardless of language and culture!
Review by Jane Sze-To
Ari Arari is a musical centered around the folk song “Arirang” which was sung in Gangwon Province more than 600 years ago. It is listed twice on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list and the song is still well known today in both North & South Korea.
Ari Arari is set in the Joseon Era and tells the story of a bride and groom, Jeong-Seon and Ki-Mok who have recently wedded and had a baby (A-ri). Shortly after, Ki-Mok must leave the family to help rebuild the kings residence but does not return. The musical follows the journey of Ki-Mok and later, A-ri, who seeks to bring her Father home.
It is interspersed with various traditional cultural elements, including the beautiful hanbok and other traditional dress, specific dances like the fan dance “Buchaechum”, the ribbon hat “Sangmo” dance and rhythmic drumming. But don’t think traditional is boring…it is far from it!
We absolutely loved the casts energy and they all looked like they were having an amazing time which made the show extremely enjoyable. There were many moments that made you laugh, cry and everything in between!
While the musical is in Korean, it has English subtitles which can easily be seen and allows for seamless following.
The musical would be more suited to children over 4 as it goes for around an hour. While my kiddo is 5 years old, cannot speak Korean, and cannot read subtitles, he still had a fantastic time watching the numerous well-choreographed dances and songs that kept him captivated for the entire time.
The only thing to note is that if your children are sensitive to loud noises, it would be best to sit further back from the stage as the music can get quite loud. There is also a “fight” scene which is portrayed quite light, but something to keep in mind depending on the age of your kids.
We highly recommend Ari Arari as one to tick off your “Fringe 2023 Bucket List”!
It is definitely a fantastic one for the kiddies who want a more worldly experience of the Fringe and a beautiful story-telling with many nuances that only adults can appreciate.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKET INFO
For more information please visit the Adelaide Fringe website.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post. The Play & Go team review via media accreditation and when kindly invited.
All photos by Play & Go Adelaide
SUBSCRIBE
Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?
Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out all the best events & activities for Adelaide families. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may sometimes get a special offer exclusively for our subscribers only!
