Naver has published an article recently, announcing the news that "The Man Who Laughs or The Smiling Man," starring EXO's Suho, will be once again at the Seoul Arts Center Opera House starting January 10th and will have its last performance on March 1st. This is the second musical role that the idol has starred and performed in, following his debut in The Last Kiss.

He has always expressed his interest in those, as mentioned earlier, musical even before his debut as a musical actor, starting with his strong desire to read the script. 

He's mentioned before that he likes the Joker character, which is based on Gwynplaine, and that influenced his interest in auditioning for the role even amidst his tight, crowded schedule. He's stated that he's seen the film Dark Knight multiple times and that he has analyzed the Joker's character deeply, seemingly expressing his desire to have the role of a similar nature.

The Smiling Man is a musical that has been adapted and derived from the original novel L'Homme qui rit, which translates to The Man Who Laughs in English. It was written by the French author Victor Hugo in 1869, and the setting is in England during the 17th century. 

The story tells the tragic life of Gwynplaine from his unfortunate childhood to his bitter adulthood due to his villainous and monster-like face, which was surgically disfigured when he was an infant. After his face got mutilated by the Comprachicos or child-buyers, he was abandoned as a child during the cold winter. After wandering around, he discovered Dea, who was a baby at the time, wrapped around her dead mother's arms in the snow. 

Both of them get taken in by Ursus and Homo, a mountebank and tame wolf, respectively. Gwynplaine lives his life with an ugly grin on his face no matter what his true feelings are, and this serves as a hindrance in the story and the root of all his sufferings. The story also revolves around the disconnection between the social classes and the lack of social justice, which benefits the bourgeois and aristocrats and encourages discrimination to the less unfortunate. The Smiling Man is a musical that dwells on human dignity and the value of equality.

EXO's leader, Suho, has been part of the cast since 2018, along with Park Hyo-shin and Park Kanghyun, the trio share the role of the lead character of the musical. The Man Who Laughs was previously shown from July 10th until August 26th that year and once again from September 4th through October 28th due to popular demand by the general public. A conference for the Korean press was held on September 7th, where Suho answered a question that inquired about the difference between him and his fellow actors that makes him especially charming to the audience, to this he responded with,

"I'm one of the oldest in EXO, but I am the youngest here. I have more youthful vibes and boyish feelings. I think my innocence is my charm." He displays his determination and passion as musical actor by humbling stating, 

"With my year of career, I'm still a rookie so I will do my best to be sincere on stage." 

Following this statement, Suho won the Rookie Actor Award and the Popularity Award at the 2018 Stage Talk Audience's Choice Awards and the 7th Ye Green Music Awards, respectively. We are looking forward to Suho's charming and passionate performance in the future!