Musical 'Marri' Reimagined as Webtoon, Signaling K-Musical IP Expansion

The K-musical powerhouse is extending its reach into the webtoon realm. The original musical 'Marri' is set to be reborn as a webtoon, marking a significant expansion for K-musical intellectual property.

'Marri' is scheduled to premiere on December 20th at the Baekam Art Hall. Ahead of the musical's opening, its webtoon adaptation, titled 'Marri's Today More Special Than Yesterday,' debuted on Naver Webtoon's Challenge Comics section on December 14th at 2 PM, with the first six episodes released.

The musical tells the story of 'Marri,' an 18-year-old who, after leaving behind her past as a dazzling child star, travels back in time to meet her 11-year-old self in the body of a doll named 'Levi.' The role of Marri will be brought to life by Kim Joo-yeon, Luna, and Park Soo-bin.

This venture is a first in the performing arts industry, aiming to offer a novel experience by translating the musical's unique sensibility and vibrant atmosphere into the colorful and engaging medium of webtoons. This initiative is expected to further heighten anticipation for the live stage performance.

The webtoon serialization was planned as part of the Arts Council Korea's '2025 Growth Stage Basic Arts Company Support Project.' Following this, production company Juda Culture intends to sequentially pursue IP expansion projects for the musical 'Marri,' including character and merchandise development, creating a new bridge between performing arts and the content industry.

Netizens are excited, commenting, 'The musical numbers feel like they're in the webtoon too,' and 'I have to read the webtoon before seeing the musical!' They also noted, 'This is a great example of content convergence.'