THE LAST MAN Makes UK Premiere at Southwark Playhouse in May

Daljung Kim will direct a new adaptation of cult Korean musical The Last Man by Jishik Kim and Seungyeon Kwon, with dramaturgy by Jethro Compton — a gripping one-person rock musical, part gig, part existential thriller and part social commentary, in which the eponymous survivor appears to be the last human alive following a zombie apocalypse. Performances run Friday 8 May to Saturday 6 June 2026.

A lone survivor seals himself inside bunker B-103 after a mysterious virus wipes out humanity, but as isolation takes hold the line between survival and living begins to blur. Now he must decide, is survival enough?  Or should he open the bunker door?

Driven by a live rock score, dark humour and psychological tension, The Last Man tells an intimate and thrillingly suspenseful story of survival, resilience and what it takes to remain human in a frightening and uncertain world.

After winning numerous awards in Korea as a web musical, this popular work is now preparing for its third run. It has been staged not only in Seoul but also in China, building a devoted following and establishing itself as a cult hit.  Newly reimagined for English-speaking audiences, this UK premiere invites audiences deep into the bunker to experience up close one person's struggle to hold on to hope, connection, and humanity.

Daljung Kim is a Seoul-based director with a prolific career spanning film, musicals and plays. His recent work focuses on developing and directing original Korean musicals such as this production and Mahogony and Gloomy Sunday. His other stage credits include the successful Korean productions of An Iliad, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and The Spitfire Grill.  

Jethro Compton is an award-winning Cornish director, designer, independent theatre producer, and a writer for stage and screen.  His directing credits include for his company Jethro Compton Productions The Bunker Trilogy and The Capone Trilogy, and his own writing, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Frontier Trilogy, Sirenia, Wolf's Blood, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.