Equal is a two-hander Korean musical based on the Japanese stage play of the same name by Kenichi Suemitsu. The musical’s book and lyrics are by Soovin Kim, with music by Woody Pak.[1] The musical is set in 17th century Europe, during the Black Death pandemic. The story takes place over a week and follows the attempts of Theo, a country doctor, to find a cure for the mysterious illness that is killing his best friend Nicola.[2] Equal held its first theatrical run from December 31, 2021 to February 20, 2022 at Uniplex Hall 1 in Seoul, South Korea.[3] A second Seoul production ran from June 3, 2022 to July 24, 2022, also at Uniplex Hall 1. A number of the 2022 Seoul cast reprised their roles in Equal's first Japanese production, which ran from August 4, 2022 to August 14, 2022 at Tokyo's Hulic Hall.
Male and female contestants compete for "each other" in romance games. For example guests have to dance in order to impress the person they are after. Contestants are artists, actors, models, comedians, and MCs of the South Korean entertainment industry.
Celebrity guests are split into two teams to compete in various contests. One guest, known only to himself, is designated the "X-Man", and does his best to cause his team to lose the contests. At the end, all guests try to determine the X-Man's identity.