Huge barrels of kimchi, gochujang and sugar occupy the stage. Kitchen tables, cutting boards and knives, few vegetables here and there cannot be missed too .‘Nanta uses only fresh ingredients,’ reads the introduction. So, what is this show really about? Is it a physical comedy? Or a musical? Cookin’ Nanta is all this and more. Exploding with sheer energy and carefully coordinated rhythms, this non-verbal musical performance takes physical comedy a notch higher. The Chennai crowd’s reaction to the show at Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao hall over the weekend was proof enough. Collective gasps followed every time they did a stunt with the cutlery; their comic physicality, on the other hand was met with peals of laughter.
Three chefs are on their regular routine, when the manager bursts into the kitchen and asks them to prepare food for a wedding. He also brings his troublemaker nephew along and demands that the chefs teach him how to cook. The story follows what happens in the kitchen when they have just an hour to go before the wedding party. Kitchen utensils — from sharp knives to spoons and ladles — are transformed into musical instruments; the energetic percussive sets dramatise the happenings in the kitchen. After all, ‘Nanta’ literally refers to the traditional rhythms of Korea. “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. The first Nanta show, which was originally written and directed by Song Seunghwan, was played in 1997 in Korea, while the first overseas show was in England in 1999 for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Cookin’ Nanta has travelled to 314 cities across 58 countries ever since.
Chennai, 03/11/2018 : NANTA - performance by the Korean band in which knives and kitchen utensils are transformed into musical instruments in the hands of the performers who play chefs. Photo : S. R. Raghunathan
The percussion, however, is very spontaneous, so much so that the audience doesn’t see it coming. At one moment, the chefs are cutting vegetables and preparing a dish, in the next, they break into a rhythmic musical set — slowly building on the subtle beats made by the cutlery; sometimes interspersed with vocal sounds that the situation demands. “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 practise.” says Hwang Yohan, who plays the restaurant manager. The artistes, who rehearse for about six months to perfect their skills, add that dealing with sharp knives can be very dangerous. The musicality is evident in the usage of cutlery and the subtle physical movements that go with the rhythm. This again refutes the popular belief that musicals require a lot of singing.
“ Mappilaiiii !”, the restaurant manager calls out to his nephew to which the latter replies, “ Mamaaa !” Such deliberate attempts to introduce a local flavour to the script makes it relatable to the Chennai audience. Though their acting is primarily based on the script written by Song, the artistes improvise based on the response and compatibility of the venue. Amidst all the cheering, the head chef played by Changhwan Ko, goes on a 15-minute long interaction with the audience, mocking the ones who hadn’t laughed and making the ones who laughed, laugh even more. That is not all, he even performs magic tricks in the meantime.
Chennai, 03/11/2018 : NANTA - performance by the Korean band in which knives and kitchen utensils are transformed into musical instruments in the hands of the performers who play chefs. Photo : S. R. Raghunathan
With performances over the last 21 years, which has been their most memorable? The current crew tells me that most of their memorable performances are invariably the ones done abroad. The responses are interesting when they come from people of different cultural backgrounds, they say. But Na Junghwan Hyun recalls a specific incident. “We remember the 2011 show in Fukushima, Japan. This was after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. It was dangerous for the performers to be there at that time. But the fact that we were able to make them laugh during such trying times was really touching.”
The barrels of kimchi and gochujang transform into drums in the finale, where the artistes (not in costumes any more) put on a spectacular show.
Cookin’ Nanta was hosted in Chennai by InKo Centre, Korea Foundation and the Consulate-General of the Republic of Korea in Chennai.
