A webtoon juggernaut, a Disney blockbuster and an Alicia Keys original all reach Seoul stages this summerSeoul's musical season is betting on the familiar. Three of the summer's most anticipated shows are built on titles audiences already love: a record-breaking webtoon, a Grammy winner's Broadway hit and one of the most beloved animated films ever made. The bet is draw first-timers with the well-known names, then win them over with something the original never had: a live stage.'Yumi's Cells': A webtoon juggernaut "Yumi's Cells" (SAM Company) The most homegrown of the three is a new Korean musical drawn from "Yumi's Cells" by Lee Dong-gun, which has amassed 3.5 billion cumulative views worldwide and was also adapted into a hit TV drama. Produced by SAM Company and Studio N over five years of joint development, it opened June 30 at the CJ Towol Theater inside the Seoul Arts Center and runs through Aug. 23.The 160-minute production condenses a sprawling story into a single, tightly staged arc, using LED screens and video to visualize the imaginary "cell village" inside the mind of its heroine, Yumi. Rather than following Yumi directly, the show adopts what its creators call an "omniscient cell perspective," letting characters such as the rookie Cell 109 narrate her inner life.In an unusual touch for a musical, on-screen subtitles display the lyrics so audiences can weigh each line as they listen. The message underneath the whimsy is a simple one: that everyone is the protagonist of their own life. The cast includes Tiffany Young and Kim Ye-won as Yumi, Choi Jae-lim and Jung Taek-woon as Cell 109, and Kim So-hyang and Yuria among the featured cells.'Hell's Kitchen': Alicia Keys originalWhere "Yumi's Cells" builds a new world from a Korean original, "Hell's Kitchen" imports a New York one. The musical, conceived by Alicia Keys over 13 years and built around her catalog, drew a leading 13 Tony Award nominations in 2024. Its Korean staging, produced by S&Co, is the first licensed production of the show in any non-English-speaking market, arriving roughly two years after the Broadway premiere. It opens July 24 at the GS Arts Center in Seoul and runs through Nov. 8. Cast for "Hell's Kitchen" (S&Co) Set in 1990s New York, the show leans hard into the street energy, fashion and rhythm of the era. Michael Greif, the director behind "Rent," "Next to Normal" and "Dear Evan Hansen," steers a creative team that includes book writer Kristoffer Diaz and choreographer Camille A. Brown.The score revives Keys staples such as "Fallin'," the Grammy-winning "If I Ain't Got You" and "Empire State of Mind," alongside new numbers written for the stage, including "Kaleidoscope." The result folds R&B, hip-hop and soul into ensemble street dance — a combination the producers pitch as a shift in the second-half landscape of the Korean market.'Frozen': A Disney blockbusterThe season's biggest brand belongs to Disney. "Frozen," the stage version of the animated phenomenon, makes its Korean premiere with music by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and a book by Jennifer Lee. Following the Korean successes of "The Lion King" and "Aladdin," the Disney title opens Aug. 13 at the Charlotte Theater and runs through March 1, 2027, before a Busan engagement at the Dream Theater in 2027.Produced by S&Co, the 135-minute production keeps the story intact while deepening the emotional thread between sisters Elsa and Anna. "Let It Go" and "Love Is an Open Door" return in arrangements built for the stage, wrapped in the aurora light, frozen Arendelle and Elsa's ice palace that anchor the show's scenic spectacle.Elsa will be played by Jeong Sun-ah, Jung Yu-ji and Min Kyung-ah; Anna by Park Jin-joo, Hong Geum-bi and Choi Ji-hye.Tickets track with each show's ambitions. "Frozen" tops out at 190,000 won ($126) for a top-tier seat down to 90,000 won for the cheapest tier. "Hell's Kitchen" runs 170,000 won to 80,000 won, and "Yumi's Cells" 160,000 won to 80,000 won. Cast for "Frozen" (S&Co)