A large gathering of Delhietes, people of Korean community and diplomats were thrilled to watch Korea’s number one non-verbal musical comedy show – ‘Cookin Nanta’ at the jam- packed Siri Fort auditorium on Tuesday, November 13
Organized by Korean Cultural Centre India, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in collaboration with Korea Foundation, the turned out to be a hit.
The event witnessed the presence of Shin Bongkil, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to India, Kim Kum Pyoung, director of Korean Cultural Center with thousands of young Indians as audience.
The show was presented twice on this day – 02:00 pm and 07:00 pm which was enjoyed by more than 2000 audience.
Yeji Sim who works with Iljin Electronics in Delhi NCR had come to see the comedy show with her brother, watched it for the first time in her life.
“The show was a complete package of fun, enjoyment and humour and kept the audience spellbound throughout one and a half hours. I belong to Korea but I watched this show for the first time in Delhi only,” Yeji said.
The play comically portrayed the episodes in a kitchen of a restaurant while using Korea’ traditional rhythm with contemporary music. The huge barrels of Kimchi, sugar, gochujang and utensils were used as instruments in the performance. Kitchen tables, cutting boards and knives, vegetables were used in a very creative way. The energetic show, full of action, dance and rhythm made the audience laugh and roll.
Much to the amusement of the Indian audience, the characters of the show also used some Hindi words such as ‘Aaj Ka Menu’ (Today’s menu) and ‘Chha Baje Tak’ (Till 6’O clock).
The story of three chefs, one manager and his troublemaking nephew is full of fun. The show starts with a scene in kitchen as chefs doing their regular work. The managers rushes into kitchen and asks them to prepare food for a wedding party. The manager’s nephew also enters the kitchen and asks the chef to teach him cooking. The full comic scene starts just before an hours’ time to go before wedding.
The musical and comic use of kitchen utensils from sharp knives to spoons and ladles — were transformed into musical instruments.
“Through Cookin’ Nanta, we would like to display Korean culture especially with regard to what happens in the kitchen,” says Ju Nwo Park, the crew manager.
“Because this is a non-verbal performance, we stress more on facial expressions and how we deliver the idea to the audience. This requires a lot of practice.” says Hwang Yohan, who plays the restaurant manager.
The artists practice for at least six months on drums, knives, expressions before presenting the show. Practice is the only key to success and artists needs to be very focused as they use knifes, fire, sticks. The perfection in rhythm and synchronization is the result of hard work.
The show had been showcased in India several times as a shorted version of 30 minutes, but for the very first time, it was showcased as a full show in 90minutes.
It was created by Director Song Seung-hwan in 1997, who was also the executive creative director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The internationally acclaimed non-verbal show has been performed for more than 20 years in 314 cities of 38 countries across the globe, and has entertained more than 10 million audiences, regardless of age. It has achieved great success in UK, Germany, even at Broadway in New York. The grand tour co-organized and supported by Korea Foundation is creating new Korean waves and introducing High level performing art from Korea.
