[Anchor]

Actor Ivy has successfully completed and returned from her debut performances as the lead in "Chicago" on Broadway, the heartland of musicals. She is now preparing to return to the stage for the Korean production of "Chicago".

Culture and Arts Specialist Reporter Kim Soo-hyun met with her.

[Reporter]

The hit musical "Chicago" has been running on New York's Broadway for a staggering 30 years.

At the center of that stage stood Roxie Hart in the form of Korean actor Ivy.

Set in 1920s Chicago, the black comedy satirizes tabloid journalism, public desires, and the dark side of show business.

When Ivy played Roxie, a character desperate to become a star, even the lines were changed.

[Ivy / Actor (Appearance on SBS podcast "Curtain Call"): Originally, it is "cute red-headed chorus girl." We thought, let's try changing it to "cute Korean dancer"... Gangland's Al Capelli seen at Chez Vito with cute Korean dancer.]

[Barry Weissler / "Chicago" Producer: Ivy was gorgeous and amazing. She is a treasure of "Chicago".]

Although she is a veteran who has appeared in "Chicago" nearly 600 times since 2012, performing entirely in English was a massive challenge.

For over a year, she did not skip studying English for a single day.

[Ivy / Actor: I had to get done what I planned for the day. When I went over to a friend's house, I would go to the bathroom and use an English-speaking app. I would just do it right there in the bathroom.]

Before leaving the country, she even held a solo English performance showcase in front of strangers and foreigners.

[Ivy / Actor: I wanted to experience being embarrassed once. But they actually understood the lines and lyrics and laughed. When I asked, "Do you understand?", they went, "Yes!"]

Having made it to the Broadway stage this way, she was met with an outpouring of fan support every day, and her name is now engraved on the wall of the theater she had visited as an audience member four years ago.

Having returned in triumph, Ivy resumed rehearsals in early December for the Korean run of "Chicago".

[Ivy / Actor: I have actually never felt relaxed even once. If anything, the pressure builds as time goes on because I want to do better. The more you know, the harder it actually gets.]

The challenge she undertook at age 45, and its success, has turned into a renewed resolve.

[Ivy / Actor: I feel like I need to keep dreaming until the day I die, almost as an obligation. Truly, let's never give up...]

(Video Journalist: Oh Se-관, Video Editing: Yoon Tae-ho, Footage courtesy of: Seensee Company & Ivy TV)