''Nanta'' (, also known as ''Cookin'' or ''Cookin' Nanta'') is a South Korean non-verbal comedy show created and produced by
Song Seung-whan and incorporates traditional
samul nori
Samul nori (사물놀이) is a genre of percussion music that originated in Korea. The word ''samul'' means "four objects", while ''nori'' means "play". Samul nori is performed with four traditional Korean musical instruments. They are '' Kkwaengg ...
rhythm.
It premiered in October 1997 in Hoam Art Hall in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
.
Features
The musical has a simple back story of three cooks attempting to finish preparing a wedding banquet within a strict time limit while the manager installs his incompetent nephew among the kitchen staff. The show involves
acrobatics, magic tricks, comedy,
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
and audience participation. The unifying element throughout the musical is the use of traditional Korean
samul nori
Samul nori (사물놀이) is a genre of percussion music that originated in Korea. The word ''samul'' means "four objects", while ''nori'' means "play". Samul nori is performed with four traditional Korean musical instruments. They are '' Kkwaengg ...
music, which in this case is performed with improvised instruments, such as cutting boards, water canisters and kitchen knives. The performance is almost completely non-verbal. The very few words which are spoken are mostly in English.
[打, Nanta>]
Popularity
''Nanta'' is the longest-running show in Korean history. In Korea, it has two private theaters in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
(
Myeong-dong,
Hongdae), one on the island of
Jeju, the other in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
, Thailand. The musical made its international debut at the
1999 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it received an award for best performance. Since then it has been staged in 57 countries around the world. ''Nanta'' opened
Off-Broadway in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
in 2004
and ended its run in August 2005.
In March 2017,
Hotel Nanta opened in Jeju island.
See also
*
Myeong-dong
*
Samulnori
*
Hongdae, Seoul
Hongdae () is a neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea near Hongik University, after which it is named. It is known for its urban arts and indie music culture, local shops, clubs and entertainment. The area is located in Mapo-gu in the western end ...
*
Performance
References
{{Reflist
External links
Nanta Website''Nanta'': Official Seoul City TourismNanta Facebook
Percussion music
Instrumental music
Works about chefs
Works about cooking
Works about wedding
Performing arts in South Korea
1997 works
South Korean comedy
Nonverbal communication