Cookn' at Hai Woon Dae (The Musical)

LTH,

Ellen and I had the pleasure of Dick Smith, Leah Zeldes and Cathy2's company at Cookn' shown at the Chicago Theater. Cookn', which is very high-energy, was great fun to watch.

"Set in a restaurant kitchen, four Korean chefs slice, dice, chop and beat food in a race against time to complete a wedding banquet in this non-verbal, percussion-based off-Broadway hit"

After the show we naturally gravitated toward Korean food, more specifically Korean BBQ at Hai Woon Dae, my favorite Korean BBQ restaurant. We were about halfway though delicious Korean BBQ, with an array of panchan that would make even Tony C happy, when who should walk in but the cast of Cookn'



They graciously signed our programs and the Cookn' cookbooks we purchased at the theater and, when we seemed hesitant to impose further, suggested posing for pictures with us.





In addition to the cast of Cookn' there were honcho's from the Chicago Korean American Chamber of Commerce and theater people.


This was the perfect cap to a very nice evening. I suggest seeing Cookn' at the Chicago Theater then dinner at Hai Woon Dae, who knows, maybe you will run into the cast having dinner.


Enjoy,
Gary

Hai Woon Dae
6240 N California Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
773-764-8018

That woman is scarily good-looking.

(please don't ban me, post police!)

From the program wrote:THE CULTURAL ORIGINS OF COOKIN'

Nong-ak is a traditional Korean music form, developed thousands of years ago in the countryside by farmers to ease the hardship if labor-intensive farming and to help encourage unity among the people. The specialized rhythms of Nong-ak vary according to geographic location. In the 1970s, several experts of Nong-ak created an experimental music form which utilizes specific Korean traditional instruments: an hour-glass shaped drum, a barrel drum, a small gong and a large gong. They called their music Samulnori (which literally means "playing with four instruments"). From this experimental work, Samulnori has become the most popular and recognizable traditional Korean art form. The composition of Samulnori employs five basic rhythms at varying speeds, alternating the number of traditional instruments used throughout. In Korea, Samulnori has essentially replaced Nong-ak as the work for describing traditional music. The variety of rhythms in Samulnori reflects and reconstructs the routine beat of Korean life.

Cookin' applies the traditional rhythms of Samulnori to a fast-paced kitchen percussion show combining comedy, rhythm and non-verbal performance that culminates into a delightful and dynamic evening. The typical instruments of Samulnori have all been replaced with utensils commonly found in the kitchen including knives, cutting boards, pots, pans, chopsticks and woks.

Korean Tourism wrote:Synopsis

A cross-tempered manager orders three chefs to cook a major wedding banquet within a strict time limit. On top of that, he brings his mischievous nephew to work with them. Even though cooks don't like his nephew, they need the assistance. While they are cooking, they show their mistakes and happenings with dance and music. The sexy man and woman chefs are too busy with their love affairs. The mischievous nephew has trouble with cooks. While making a big cream cake for the highlight of the wedding, they lack time and good ideas. Luckily the nephew has a great idea, and the chefs complete the big cake and other dishes on time. Then, a fantastic wedding party is held. The typical instruments used in Samulnori (farmers' percussion quartet) have been replaced with diverse drums improvised from common kitchen utensils. Going back and forth from cooking to pounding out their rhythmic cadences, from cheerful banter to playful animosity, the kitchen crew creates visual humor and aural fun that irresistibly entice the audience to participate. As they complete the best dishes of the day, the performance culminates in a feast that is shared with the audience to both highlight and celebrate the communal bond found in traditional Samulnori performance.

My family are big fans of Riverdance from the moment we caught a glimpse on the CBS Morning Show at least a year or two before it came to Chicago the first time. Riverdance provided a new interpretation and new appreciation for Irish step dancing. We brought my nieces who were quite tiny and took seats all the way in the rear. The girls (quietly) bounced up and down with rapt attention and appreciation of the dancers. We also had to endure people openly comment we were nuts to spend so much money on tickets on "Children who couldn't appreciate the experience." Yeah, I think they understood very well, thank you very much.

I kept thinking my Riverdance experience while watching Cookin.' The place was filled with Korean families who brought their elders as well as their youngsters. Throughout the production, you could hear youthful voices openly offering appreciation and getting a bigger kick out of the sight gags than the adults.

Please note this is largely a voiceless performance, no knowledge of Korean is expected or required. Leah Zeldes saw Cookin' in Korea commented there were more English words used in the Chicago performance, than there were Korean words used in the Seoul performance. So they have made slight adjustments as a courtesy to an English-speaking audience.

My only disappointment, and one which is quite idiosyncratic, I wanted the odors of food. Otherwise it was quite a brilliantly conceived program, which I am glad I did not miss.

Just heard a promo saying this show will be a topic on WBEZ's 848 tomorrow morning (which means some time after that you'll be able to download it as well).

Aaron:

I guess she's ok...but that young fellow with the longish brown hair is a knockout. Sort of a Korean version of Johnny Depp...yow!

I saw the show last night and loved it! I've seen Stomp twice and to me it was a mix of Stomp, Benihana and Blue Man Group. The girl chopped a zuccini in such a wondeful artful manner...at first I didn't think they were really chopping the veggies - but they are! And they are really good...I would definitely recommend the show...
What's in their Cookbook? I was wondering about that...

sundevilpeg wrote:Aaron:

I guess she's ok...but that young fellow with the longish brown hair is a knockout. Sort of a Korean version of Johnny Depp...yow!

agreed - he's totally dreamy!

Hi,

Vignette of Korean Cooking. This link has a review as well as ordering information. Quickly scanning the book, it is written in both Korean and English with lots of pictures, which would allow better understanding to Korean restaurant menus as well as cooking methods. The cookbook purchased in the lobby cost $20.

Gary and I had our cookbooks signed by the cast of Cookin.' Rather than signing on the inside cover, they signed on the cover itself. They also signed our programs. When we were preparing to leave, they asked up if we wanted our picture. We took them on it because we had thought about it but didn't want to be intrusive.

It's a good thing Ellen, Gary and I were present or there would be no photos. Gary uncharacteristically did not have his camera, though I had mine. Since I still have not read the camera's instructions, I handed the camera to Gary warning him to check the settings. He took one picture and the battery pooped out. The LOOK he gave me, fortunately Ellen came to our rescue by pulling an extra battery out of her purse.

We had a fine evening with lots of pleasant surprises: an excellent performance, fine dinner, the good luck to bump into the cast and the great company of LTH friends.

Regards,

o man.. the show closes in 2 days@#$R%@#$%

i was JUST at the goodman on Monday watching "I am my own wife". Saw the billboard on Chicago Theatre touting "Cookin'" but it looks all sold out...

and yah, if i didn't have 1 of my very own Korean gf already.. i'd be ALL over her w/ my hands and feet...

chow content: ended up eating Potbelly + Jamba for pre-theatre prefixe... Jamba juice with a 5deg windchill is mighty interesting i must say. and yah, Hai Woon Dae's panchan is a-ok by me. almost as good as FDLT's...