The South Korean film The King and the Clown, which took much of Asia by storm in 2005, has been adapted into a musical to hit Beijing next week.

The play will meet with Beijing audiences at the Tianqiao Theater from December 15 with a two-day run. It is part of a cultural program marking the year as the Sino-South Korean Year of Exchange, Beijing News reported on Thursday.

One of the highlights of the 2005 film was the effeminate court clown, Gong-Gil, whom the ancient king Yonsan fell in love with.

Gong-Gil's actor, Lee Jun Ki, gained a large fan base, of mostly teenage girls, by portraying the character.

In the upcoming musical, Gong-Gil will be "as entrancing as Lee Jun Ki," Beijing News cited the play's producer, Seoul Art Troupe, as saying without giving the actor's name.

The musical had a domestic debut in Seoul back in September. After their performance next week in Beijing, the show will return to the Chinese capital in May to join the performance season at the newly-built National Grand Theater.

(CRI December 6, 2007)