Webtoon Hit 'Yumi's Cells' Debuts as Musical in Seoul
Creatrip Team
a month ago
The popular Naver webtoon Yumi’s Cells has been adapted into a stage musical, opening July 30 at Seoul Arts Center’s CJ Towol Theater through August 23. The production reframes the story from the viewpoint of Yumi’s internal cells and adds an original character, Apprentice Cell 109. Cast members include Tiffany Young and Kim Ye-won as Yumi, with Choi Jae-rim and Jung Taek-woon as 109; Kim So-hyang and Yuria play the prime cell “Love.” Producers say the webtoon’s vivid visualization of everyday feelings via “cells” (머릿속 세포들) helps the story survive format changes into drama, animation, games and now musical. The piece is part of a wider trend: many Korean webtoon IPs (intellectual property) have been or are being turned into musicals—examples include The Great Gatsby, Along with the Gods, Itaewon Class, and My Mister—some reaching large venues and international stages. Industry insiders note webtoons are attractive to producers because they provide proven characters, worlds and fandoms; the challenge is translating panels, speech bubbles and scrolling into convincing songs, choreography and stagecraft.
