[Anchor]

The popular webtoon 'Yumi's Cells' has been adapted into a musical. Additionally, Wagner's opera 'Der Ring des Nibelungen,' which typically requires 15 hours to perform across four parts, is being condensed into a single-day concert performance.

Here is the latest on these performances from culture and arts reporter Kim Soo-hyun.

[Reporter]

[Musical 'Yumi's Cells' / Through August 23 / CJ Towol Theater]

Following its successful television drama adaptation, writer Lee Dong-geon's popular webtoon 'Yumi's Cells' has now been reborn as a musical.

The story follows Yumi, an ordinary office worker, and the cells living in her brain that react according to her emotions.

The 'Love Cell' serves as the first 'Prime Cell,' the leader of the cell village that determines Yumi's identity and actions.

The character 'Apprentice Cell 109,' which does not exist in the original work but was newly created for the musical, is portrayed as a character who struggles to save Yumi and helps her inner growth.

[Choi Jae-rim / Actor playing Apprentice Cell 109: Yumi's birthday is January 9th in the show. So, we took those numbers and turned them into '109.' It also carries the meaning of a cell that was born together with Yumi on her birthday.]

The process of Yumi's cells growing is, in essence, the journey of the protagonist Yumi as she experiences heartbreak and separation, ultimately finding her true self.

[Tiffany Young / Actor playing Yumi: I want to continuously convey the message that it is okay to go at your own pace, your own speed, and to follow what is right for you.]

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[Wagner's 'Der Ring des Nibelungen' Highlights / August 8, Seoul Arts Center / August 14, Bucheon Art Center]

To mark the 150th anniversary of the first complete performance of Wagner's opera 'Der Ring des Nibelungen,' the work is coming to audiences in a highlights performance.

The four-part 'Ring' cycle, which spans 15 hours in its entirety, will be condensed into a concert opera lasting about 4 hours, including intermissions, allowing audiences to enjoy it in a single day.

[Samuel Youn / Bass-baritone: The most important thing in connecting the storytelling naturally was the leitmotif. We tried our best to preserve the leitmotifs that Wagner composed to identify specific characters.]

The performance will feature world-renowned Korean vocalists who grace international stages, led by bass-baritone Samuel Youn—known as the hero of Bayreuth—including Kim Jae-hyung, Lee Myung-joo, Choi In-sik, Kim Eun-hee, Kim Seung-jik, and Kim Ki-hoon. The Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Adrien Perruchon, will also join the performance.

(Reported by Lee Moo-jin | Video by Lee Sang-min | VJ: Oh Se-gwan | Video courtesy of Art & Artist)