The Korean production of The Count of Monte Cristo condenses Alexandre Dumas’s sprawling revenge saga into a fast-paced, almost soap opera–like musical — and I mean that as both a compliment and a source of amusement. Edmond Dantès, a young sailor betrayed by three men for reasons of honor, love, and ambition, is arrested and imprisoned. His arrest and time in prison could have been portrayed with greater tragedy, but here the prison scenes lean toward comedy, especially with the appearance of his mentor, Abbé Faria. Faria not only teaches Edmond to read, write, and speak like a nobleman, but also trains him in sword fighting. When Faria dies, Edmond hides inside the body bag to escape the island prison.

The rapid storytelling continues when Edmond encounters a pirate ship led by a woman captain. She tests him with a duel, which he wins, and instead of killing his defeated opponent, he spares his life. The man pledges loyalty, and the pirates take Edmond to the island of Monte Cristo, where he recovers the treasure hidden by his mentor. Now reinvented as the Count of Monte Cristo, he sets out to destroy the three men who betrayed him.

The revenge plot is swift and straightforward — each enemy brought down without elaborate side plots. His former fiancée, who still loves him, hides the truth about her son’s parentage until all the vengeance is complete. In the final scene, she reveals that the boy is Edmond’s son. Instead of ending in brooding melancholy, the musical closes on an unexpectedly comic note — the “I’m your father” revelation plays almost like a punchline, and the audience laughs along.

The staging often matches the lighthearted tone, particularly in the sequence where Edmond “digs” his way to freedom with exaggerated, comedic movement. The pacing skips anything extraneous, jumping only from one essential plot beat to the next. Even with these comic touches, the score is genuinely strong — soaring melodies, emotional duets, and powerful ensemble numbers. I saw a YouTube comment saying you could swap the entire score with Jekyll & Hyde and it would still fit perfectly, and I can’t disagree. This Monte Cristo may not dwell in operatic tragedy, but it offers swift justice, memorable music, and an ending that’s as funny as it is satisfying.