The cult Korean rock musical The Last Man has been a huge hit across Asia. Newly reimagined for English-speaking audiences, it has now landed in London at Southwark Playhouse, inviting us deep into a bunker for an intimate experience of one person’s struggle to hold on to hope, connection and humanity.
The apocalypse is something the world has learned to fear over the past few years, having witnessed firsthand a deadly virus taking over the world and killing anyone who gets in its way. So a story about a lone survivor of a mysterious virus, barricaded in a bunker and trying to stay alive, is not an alien concept.
As isolation takes hold and food begins to grow scarce, the line between survival and living starts to blur. Is it better to stay inside, starving to death and going insane, or to take your chances on what lies beyond the bunker door?
From the very beginning, this show is a disaster. The rock score (which is actually quite good) drowns out the voice of Lex Lee, our lone survivor in this one-act play (who alternates the role each night with Nabi Brown), making it almost impossible to hear what is being said.
That is arguably a good thing, because when the songs aren’t quite as loud, you can hear the lyrics and they are awful. I don’t know if something has been lost in translation, but it sounds as though a middle-aged straight white man has tried his hand at translating a Korean rock musical.
The production also includes a laughable attempt at using an iPhone to livestream to the outside world (or to television screens around the auditorium). Long lags in the connection prove an immediate distraction from the story, with the audience watching comical freeze-frames until the picture restores. You can understand that livestreaming from an underground bunker might come with its issues, but this was ridiculous. During technical rehearsals, the problem should either have been solved or cut from the show entirely. Sometimes in life you have to accept that things don’t work and try something else.
The Last Man sets out to tell an intimate story of survival, resilience and what it takes to remain human in a frightening and uncertain world.
But by the end of this two-hour show, I was left rolling my eyes and wondering how shows like this make it to the stage.
★
West End Wilma
The Last Man is playing until 13 June 2026 at Southwark Playhouse Elephant.
Book & Lyrics by Jishik Kim
Music by Seungyeon Kwon
Dramaturgy by Jethro Compton
Directed by Daljung Kim
Lyrics, Musical Supervisor, Co-Orchestrator and Arrangement by Gabriel Chernick
Set Design by Shankho Chaudhuri
Lighting Design by Cheolmin Cho
Sound Design by Liam McDermott
Costume Design by Anna Kelsey
Casting by Grace McInerny for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher
Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS),
the Korean Cultural Centre UK, the Korea Tourism Organization, and the Seoul Performing Arts Company
