Changgeuk or ch'angguk is a traditional Korean opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

, performed as a play but in the Korean folk song style known as pansori

Pansori

Pansori is a genre of Korean traditional music. It is a vocal and percussional music performed by one sorikkun and one gosu . The term pansori is derived from pan , and sori .- Overview :...

. It is therefore also called Korean pansori opera in English. Generally, a changgeuk play will include 20 to 30 actors, and 30 to 50 orchestra members.

An example

Suggungga

Sugungga

Sugungga is one of the five surviving stories of the Korean pansori storytelling tradition. The other stories are Simcheongga, Heungbuga, Jeokbyeokga, and Chunhyangga....

(Mr. Rabbit and the Dragon King) tells a story about a shrewd rabbit who manages to return home safely using many clever tricks after having visited the Dragon King’s palace, which is located under the sea. The Dragon King had invited the rabbit to his palace to eat its liver after being told it that rabbit liver is the only cure for his illness. Sugungga is full of humor and also contains metaphors criticizing society.