Percussion show Nanta marks 1st Anniversary of N.Y performance.-16/Mar. By Lisa

[LISA~**]

Percussion show 'Nanta' marks 1st Anniversary of New York performance 
                                                                       16.MAR. BY Lovely Lisa
 
 "Nanta," a Korean-made nonverbal percussion performance, has proved that rhythm is the world's common language.
Since the five-member show debuted on New York's Off-Broadway a year ago with the English title "Cookin," it has drawn more than 100,000 viewers. By all standards, the show was a smash hit after a year in New York.
"At first, I worried how long the show could last. I felt very nervous," Song Seung-hwan, who conceived and produced the musical, recalled in a recent interview with the Yonhap News Agency. "Now I'm really happy that we've come so far, laying the groundwork for a long run." Song co-chairs the show's production company PMC Production along with his high school friend, Lee Gwang-ho.
"Nanta" is about four Korean chefs preparing a wedding dinner in a restaurant. As the chefs are ordered by the manager to make the dinner in an hour, the cooking turns into a percussion music performance. They play the highly energetic Korean traditional percussion music "Samulnori," with chopping knives, cutting boards, vats, pots, stew pans and all manner of kitchenware.
Cooking smells fill the theater as the chefs make "bulgogie," a grilled meat with garlic and other strong Korean seasonings. It stimulates the olfactory sense of the audience.
The Off-Broadway show is almost the same as the original version, but differs in that some local culture is incorporated into it, Song said.
"We wanted to show foreigners what Korean food looks like, as well as how it smells," he said with a smile, adding that the performance also introduces some Asian sports culture.
"We allocate more time for kung fu-style action, as foreigners have much interest in the oriental martial art," Song said.
The musical in New York has sold US$5 million in tickets, but yielded no profit due to high marketing costs, Song said, adding that he expects to reach the break-even point later this year.
"I think foreigners like this show because they have no language barrier to watch it and the subject matter is all-Korean and a kitchen drama, a familiar subject to all," Song said.
Since its premiere in 1997, "Nanta" has been performed more than 1,000 times in South Korea and has won a number of awards. In South Korea in 2004 alone, it reaped a net profit of 4 billion won ($3.9 million) on total sales of 13 billion won.
So far, "Nanta" has sent teams to around 50 cities in 20 countries for performances. The show has slightly changed its contents and incorporated foreign cultures depending on where it is performed.
Since January, another "Nanta" team has been on a tour of Europe, including the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. It is to debut in Portugal later this month and the Japanese cities of Osaka and Nagoya in May and June. It then will go to Shanghai and Beijing in September and October.
Yet another "Nanta" team is currently on a tour of America.
After performing in Chicago, the team is now in Florida, from which it will move to Mexico in April, Song said.
"Of course, reactions to the show are highly enthusiastic," Song said.
But it was not easy for Song, who was a television drama star in his early years, to put the show on a roll. "I had a lot of financial problems in the initial stage," he said.
Believing that only a success in the overseas market would make the breaks, Song said, he bet on the possibility of a nonverbal percussion show, which is how "Nanta" came into being.
Despite the show's fame at home, Song said there was no guarantee that it would also succeed on Broadway. "We faced the problem of how to market it in New York, since we didn't have any experience," he said.
''We eventually formed a partnership with U.S. companies for local marketing. Now I
believe that was the right decision and has helped the show's yearlong run." Setting his sights far ahead, say, 10 or 20 years from now, the bespectacled producer said he hopes that his show would become a long-running Broadway hit like "Cats," "Les Miserables" and "The Phantom of the Opera." Asked about the domestic theater market, he said it is dominated too much by imported and licensed musicals rather than homegrown creations, but that things will change in two to three years.
"There are many Koreans studying musicals abroad. When they return home, they will bring a fresh wind to the local market," he said.
Many domestic stage works will then follow the lead of "Nanta," playing an evangelistic role in spreading Korean culture abroad, he said. (Yonhap)
*VOCA:
 groundwork  n.  [보통 the ~]  기초, 토대; 기초 작업[연구]      
 percussion n.   단단한 두 물체의) 충격, 충돌 【음악】 타악기(부)
 olfactory  a. 후각의, 후관(嗅官)의 n. (pl. ries) [보통 pl.] 후각기, 후각 신경
yearlong a. 1년간 계속되는, 1년에 걸치는 
evangelistic [ivndlistik] a.  복음서 저자의 ,복음 전도자의, 전도하는
*Questions:
-Are you interested in Korean culture?What kinds of cultural things(Korean) could be the most in the world?
-What is the reason of Nanta's success (-just your opinion)?
-How many times do you go to see musical , opera and so on annually?
**JUST FEEL FREE TO TALK!!!!