[Seoul] NANTA(난타)

[Programs]
Since its premiere in 1997, NANTA has become a household name, with a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 1999. In 2003, the show became the first Asian production to appear on Broadway, New York, and created a dedicated off-Broadway theater, making it more famous abroad than at home. It has been performed in 326 cities in 61 countries and has been seen by over 15 million people (as of August 2024).

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the history of Korean non-verbal shows can be divided into two periods: before and after NANTA. It is also one of Korea’s leading cultural tourism products. The story is about the commotion in the kitchen when food is being prepared. Three chefs happily cook in the kitchen when their manager orders them to prepare food for a wedding banquet in just one hour, and to make matters worse, the manager’s nephew joins them! Preparations for the party finally begin, and the chefs work with a sense of urgency.

The actors perform this process with the percussion of knives and kitchen utensils on a cutting board. Their synchronized gestures reverberate through the space like an upbeat drumbeat, resonating in the chest of the audience. Behind the scenes, however, is the essence of the percussion, the traditional rhythms of Samulnori (traditional Korean percussion quartet), which sounds incredibly entertaining and exciting. This creates the unique sound of NANTA, which is different from any other non-verbal performances abroad.