Before the fall, let me soar freely like a butterfly.

“I have never once in my life done what I truly wanted to do.”

At the age of seventy, retired mailman SHIM Deok-chul feels an urgent desire to fulfill a long-buried dream of dancing ballet as his body gradually begins to weaken. Despite his family’s alarmed objections, he bravely steps into a ballet studio, where he encounters LEE Chae-rok, a 23-year-old ballet prodigy who has lost his direction, trapped between financial pressure and the passing of time.

An elderly man struggling against the limits of a fading body and a young dancer fighting the collapse of his own dreams gradually form an unlikely and deeply moving friendship. Through dance, their bond unfolds like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.

The original webtoon Navillera has accumulated nearly 900,000 views on Korea’s leading webcomic platform Kakao Page, consistently maintaining a near-perfect rating. It was nominated for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards and selected for the Best Webcomic category. The television adaptation also achieved widespread acclaim, remaining in the Netflix Taiwan’s Top 10 for three consecutive weeks and being hailed by audiences as “the most tear-jerking work of the year” and “a must-watch in a lifetime.”

The musical adaptation of Navillera is produced by the Seoul Performing Arts Company, the leading Korean team behind the musical Along with the Gods. The role of SHIM Deok-chul is performed by acclaimed musical theater actor CHOI In-hyung, a principal performer of the company whose stage presence has been praised by the media as “irreplaceable.”

In a special double casting for the role of LEE Chae-rok, the production brings together two powerhouse K-pop vocalists: LEE Jae-hwan (KEN) of VIXX and JAE YOON of SF9. Combining both artistic strength and star appeal, this compelling dual cast alternates in portraying Chae-rok’s journey as he struggles through uncertainty and gradually finds his way forward.

While it may appear to be a dazzling and dreamlike journey in pursuit of one’s aspirations, the work delicately reveals the profound tensions between reality and dreams, the weight of cultural prejudice, and the ongoing struggle for self-worth. As the curtain rises and the lights illuminate the stage, dancers glide lightly onto the floor. The thunder of applause stirs every fervent soul longs to shine in the vastness of the city, inviting each to take their own most magnificent flight.

©Seoul Performing Arts Company（SPAC）-Navillera （2021）

Seoul Performing Arts Company
The Seoul Performing Arts Company is a national performing arts troupe under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea. Founded in 1986, its predecessor, the “88 Seoul Performing Arts Company,” was established as one of Korea’s most representative national multidisciplinary performing arts companies. Rooted in Korean cultural identity, the company is dedicated to preserving the nation’s traditions and history while expressing the spirit of Korean culture through contemporary performance.

The company presents approximately four original productions each year. Notable works include Along with the Gods, Yun Dong-ju Shoots the Moon, and Lost Face 1895. Through musical theater productions that balance artistic depth with broad audience appeal, alongside works that incorporate advanced stage technologies, the company continues to introduce diverse themes and performance styles to Korea’s performing arts landscape, contributing to the vitality and evolution of the broader performing arts ecosystem.

Original Webtoon／HUN＆Jimin
Book & Lyrics／Park Hae-rim
Music／Kim Hyo-eun
Director／Gina LEE
Music Supervisor／Kim Sungsoo（23lives）
Choreographer／Yoo Hoi-woong
Cast／CHOI In-hyung, LEE Jae-hwan, JAE YOON