THE LAST MAN
Southwark Playhouse Elephant
★★½
“could do with some refinement to truly earn its survivor status”
‘The Last Man’ – a one-person Korean rock musical – bursts onto the stage in its English language world premiere. After sell-out runs in Korea and China, this newly reimagined version feels like it’s still finding its rhythm.
A mysterious virus wipes out humanity – except for one survivor, sealed in a bunker beneath Seoul. As time stretches on, supplies run low and resolve cracks. But things aren’t all they seem.
Jishik Kim’s book, with dramaturgy by Jethro Compton, opens strongly, skewering zombie apocalypse tropes with sharp, self aware humour. The one person dialogue has real drive early on, though leans into telling over showing as it unfolds. The main weakness is the twist doesn’t quite land, partly because the show feels like two contrasting halves, and partly because the final scene raises more questions than it answers. With clearer development and a more focused ending, the piece could hit much harder.
Jishik Kim’s lyrics mostly land, though a few clunky lines seem to have snuck through translation. Seungyeon Kwon’s music – with Gabriel Chernick’s supervision and arrangements, and Amy Hsu’s musical direction – has many smart touches that amplify the score’s emotion. However bolder contrasts and a more distinctive sound would help each beat land more clearly. The five piece band – Hsu, Charlie Laffer, Jon Cox, Rhys Davies and Elizabeth Boyce – is superb.
Direction by Daljung Kim, with assistant Yujeong Kim, has many clever moments such as the teleporting teddy. The phone video adds a ‘Blair Witch’ style claustrophobia, though the glitching stream breaks the spell, especially when the actor’s focus is on the phone. A more defined mental decline would give the two acts a stronger connection, and movement choices could be bolder to create more momentum. A few choices strain the internal logic of an apocalyptic setting, such as throwing away precious resources, and the depiction of the character’s mental state doesn’t always ring true.
The design work shines. Shankho Chaudhuri’s realistic, versatile set makes full use of space, from the opening dash across an upper gallery to the austere yet homely bunker below. Cheolmin Cho’s lighting is absolutely stunning, shaping each scene with gorgeous precision. Anna Kelsey’s costume design is suitably apocalyptic with just enough personality to root us in the survivor’s world. Liam McDermott’s sound design creates a wonderfully eerie atmosphere, though the zombie ‘roars’ don’t quite land and the mix sometimes swallows the lyrics, especially in the opening number.
Tonight’s cast features Lex Lee as The Survivor, sharing the role with Nabi Brown. Lee commands focus throughout a demanding one person musical, delivering standout vocals that shift effortlessly from intimate moments to full throttle rock. Lee’s comic timing and emotional grit shine, though a few moments could open up even more.
I doubt this is the last we’ll see of ‘The Last Man’ in the UK, as tonight’s response shows there’s clearly an audience. However, it could do with some refinement to truly earn its survivor status.
THE LAST MAN
Southwark Playhouse Elephant
Reviewed on 13th May 2026
by Hannah Bothelton
Photography by Rich Lakos
