'COOKIN' ' The cast of the "Cookin' " uses kitchen activity as a springboard for a manic, comic, percussive performance.

A high-energy Korean production blends
food with music, dance and stompin' around

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By Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.com

Are you ready for some ... "nanta"? That's the Korean description for "crazy heat" or "wild beating," an apt word for the spirited pace and broad comedy of "Cookin'," a South Korean stage show that's been phenomenally successful in its home country and worldwide and is now starting to make inroads in the United States.

U.S. company manager Byong-Ik Kim said, that since "Cookin'" launched 2 1/2 years ago, it's found a home in three permanent theaters -- two in Seoul and another in Munich, Germany. It appeals to audiences as diverse as the ones at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Disney World.

So what's all the "nanta" about?

‘Cookin' ’ Onstage: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday Place: Hawaii Theatre Tickets: $10 to $46 Call: 956-3836

Well, think of "Stomp" in a restaurant kitchen -- with pots, pans, bowls, spatulas, knives, chopsticks and other sundry items banging, clanging and chopping away as percussive instruments -- and Benihana cooking techniques done with vaudevillian theatricality (watch out for flying food!). Then throw in some martial arts and acrobatic plate juggling, all done to a rockin' samulnori beat.

"Back in 1997 the show's producer, Mr. (Seung-Wan) Song, wanted to make an excellent Korean show that could be introduced to an overseas audience," Kim said, "and the concept would include the excellent Korean (samulnori) rhythm.

"In the meantime he heard a different kind of percussion show that would be similar to 'Stomp,' but instead of playing percussion instruments, kitchen utensils -- even a broom and mop -- would be used. He wanted to make what became 'Cookin'' really different, with a clear, distinctive story line with comic elements."

(We weren't told whether kim chee would be a part of the show, although pineapples may make a special appearance.)

To be honest, the story line is just a pretext for all the choreographed mayhem onstage. After the actors perform on traditional Korean drums and gongs to familiarize the audience to the rhythms they'll be hearing, they don kitchen whites and hats to become a ragtag kitchen staff instructed by a pompous manager that they have exactly one hour to prepare a wedding feast, from the opening course of soup to the cream cake dessert.

"Everything is meticulously calculated to work within that limited time -- there's an actual clock running onstage." On top of an "Iron Chef" reference, there is also a power struggle and a love triangle that figures into the manic mix. The so-named Head Chef, Sexy Food Dude and Female Cook have to cope with the addition of the manager's nephew, who wants both glory and the girl -- but not without a full-blown martial arts showdown.

And be prepared for some audience participation. Lucky members will either be judges on how good the soup turned out or help out with a "dumpling challenge" between the cooks, and a couple will be recruited to play the bride and groom at the end.

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