When lies summon ancient tribe: Musical ‘The Tribe’ explores joy of being oneself

The Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theater is bringing back its original musical “The Tribe” with a significantly scaled-up second edition that sharpens its focus on “being true to yourself” and the power of solidarity. The show, which premiered in 2024 at the Sejong Center of the Performing Arts’ S Theater to strong word-of-mouth and solid ticket sales, now returns through June 27 with expanded choreography, music and character arcs that push the central questions of identity and honesty to the fore. The work began as a graduation project by Jeon Dong-min at the Korea National University of Arts before being developed into a full staging last year when it charmed audiences with its playful premise: Whenever someone lies, an ancient tribe appears and dances, exposing hidden truths.

In the musical, that setup drives the story of Joseph and Chloe, characters who have long tried to match themselves to the roles that society expects. When they accidentally break an ancient mask on display in a museum, they trigger a strange phenomenon in which the tribe appears each time they lie, dan