It′s one of the most popular and well-known productions here in Korea,... featuring drum beats and kitchen utensils.
"Nanta" recently made history for being the most-watched Korean production of all time.
Our Connie Lee tells us what this means for Korea′s performing arts arena. There′s a lot of drumming...
beating, knife-wielding, and acting.
This is just a brief behind-the-scenes look at Korea′s very own production of "Nanta."
The rhythmic show just made history,... hitting the 10-million viewer mark at home and abroad at the end of last year.
That makes this... not only the longest-running show in Korea,... now in its 18th year...,
but also the most-watched Korean production of all time.
"For a local theatrical production to hit 10-million viewers, it′s unheard of But ′Nanta′ did it. This gives hope to other locally made productions, that they too could succeed."
To mark this milestone, PMC Production, the firm behind the show, celebrated this week, and honored the original cast members pictured on the trademark Nanta poster.
You might recognize some of them like actor Ryu Seung-ryong , who′s had a recent string of hit movies.
The non-verbal show about a group of chefs cooking for a wedding banquet... came to life in 1997, by longtime actor, turned-producer-and-director... Song Seung-whan .
"I was inspired by childhood memories of hearing my mother cook in the kitchen./ I wanted to create a show that incorporated the traditional Korean rhythms of ′samulnori,′ and thought the kitchen had a number of items that could create those beats."
After two years, the show, also known as ′Cookin′ in the West, hit the global stage, becoming the first Korean production to enter the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1999... and then in 2003 becoming Korea′s debut on Broadway.
Since then, "Nanta" toured the globe, and has been shown more than 31-thousand times... in 289 cities and 51 countries.
Critics rave about the show′s comedic features, its family-friendly nature and the fun "Korean beats"... that can get any crowd going.
"When I first created the show, I didn′t think it would last this long. Today I see even greater opportunities for Korean-made productions to succeed even more abroad."
Officials now have their eyes set squarely on China as a Nanta theater is set to be built in Guangzhou by June.
Connie Lee, Arirang News.
