Coming-of-age novel 'Almond' to be made into musical

By Dong Sun-hwa

The poster for upcoming musical “Almond” / Courtesy of Live Corp.

“Almond,” an award-winning novel by novelist Sohn Won-pyung, is set to be made into a musical in April, according to production company Live Corp., Thursday.

The musical will premiere at COEX Artium in Gangnam District, Seoul, from April 2 to May 1. The names of the actors joining the cast will soon be announced.

Released by Changbi Publishers in 2017, “Almond” is a coming-of-age story of a boy named Yoon-jae, who cannot feel any emotions due to a brain condition called Alexithymia. The book portrays how Yoon-jae grows up as he builds rapport with different people.

“Almond,” which sold 900,000 copies in Korea, won the Changbi Publishers' Literary Award in 2016 and the Japanese Bookseller's Award in 2020. It also grabbed international attention after RM and Suga of K-pop superstar BTS were seen reading the novel in the reality show, “BTS In the Soop,” in 2020. According to Changbi Publishers, the book's translation rights were sold to 12 countries, including the U.S., France, Vietnam and Mexico.

“My co-workers and I are striving to bring life to a musical that can win people's hearts for a long time to come,” the musical's producer, Kang Byung-won, said. “The original work will be taken to the next level with the help of music and performance.”

Novelist Sohn said, “I am so glad to hear that my work will be reborn as a theatrical show. I hope great actors, music and direction help it resonate with audiences.”