ALL they do on the show is bang some pots, cut up some vegetables and generally make a mess of the kitchen. Yet, it’s one of the most entertaining shows I’ve seen ever.
If you’re looking for something different to enjoy this weekend, I recommend heading out to The Theater at Solaire and catch a performance of Cookin’ Nanta. Five minutes into the show and you’ll probably be rolling on the floor and laughing your head off like I did. Cookin’ Nanta is a Korean nonverbal show that uses dancing, drum playing, synchronized knife-cutting and other feats of gymnastics (all performed with perfect comedic timing) to tell its story. I first saw this show in Seoul a few years back and was initially skeptical about relating to it (considering the language barrier). But it turns out, there was no need to worry since there was hardly any dialogue to understand. It was all in the body language and the knife-wielding.
If you haven’t seen a Korean nonverbal performance, you’d probably wonder what keeps the audience in thrall when there’s hardly any dialogue at all. But trust me this show will have you in stitches, or at the very least, wowed by the athletic prowess of the actors. The story revolves around a kitchen staff ruled with an iron fist by a manager of a restaurant. The crew is busy preparing for a wedding banquet (members of the audience are chosen to be the bride and groom), which takes place in an hour. Everything runs smoothly until the manager inserts his bumbling nephew into the mix and disrupts the staff’s routine.
As expected, mayhem and madness ensue as vegetables get sliced, diced and flung through the air and knives get this close to body parts. There is also a lot of banging of drums and pots, not to mention some major baring of skin as chests and abs make statements of their own. The show incorporates the rhythms of samul nuri (traditional drum and gong playing) with modern syncopated beats that keep the actors and the audience revved up and at the edge of their seats throughout the night. Will the staff manage to complete the task on time? The question dangles in the air until the very last minute. The answer makes for a satisfying climax at the end of the show. Since it opened in 1997, Cookin’ Nanta has been seen by more than 10 million viewers and performed on several stages around the world, including on Broadway. In the process, they have sliced and diced 315,800 cucumbers, 126,320 onions, 315,800 carrots and 221,060 cabbages, and used up approximately 18,975 knives and 2,070 cutting boards.
Cookin’ Nanta is brought to the Philippines by Concertus Manila for a limited eight-show run (until the 15th), so hurry up and grab your tickets at TicketWorld (891-9999, www.ticketworld.com.ph).
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Need a culinary break? Then check out the live action buffet at Cucina, on the 24th floor of Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas. The restaurant is celebrating the Authentic Flavors of Thailand until November 15 with a selection of savory and spicy Thai dishes guaranteed to whet your appetite (if not heat up your palate).
For P1,850 net, diners get to sample the signature dishes of chefs Sunisa Nualthongkaew and Watcharavee Rujechotiphat, who were flown in from Thailand for the weeklong festival. The chefs’ culinary delights include Goong Sa Rong, Pad Thai, Som Tam and Tom Yum Goong. Children below 6 years old get to dine for free, while those from 7 to 12 years old are given a 50-percent discount.
Diners who want to learn how to cook these dishes may even enroll in a live-cooking demonstration with the guest chefs tomorrow, at Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge. A P3,000 net fee covers the cooking lesson and includes a Thai home cook beginner’s kit and a single buffet pass at Cucina. Interested? Then call 720-7720 or e-mail restaurant.mnl@marcopolotels.com for details.
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Those of you who can’t shake the shopping bug should really stop by the Urban Artisans bazaar this weekend (November 14 and 15).
The bazaar offers an eclectic but carefully curated selection of home accessories, fashion, jewelry and gourmet delights that are perfect both for gifts, as well as personal consumption. From funky foot fashion to fabulous pocketbooks, from gourmet dips to artisanal coffee, there are unique items to discover in every corner. All of them too good to pass up. Participants include Real Girl Toy Kitchen, Neill Felip, Bucketfeet, Alegre by Techie Hagedorn, Kathy & Kathy Bespoke, Wiccan Works by Paulie Caoili and many more.
If you like your gifts cool, classy and distinctive, this is where you begin your search.
Urban Artisans is at Nest Furniture and Design at Jupiter Street corner Paseo de Roxas in Makati City.
***Is your weekend busier than your work week? Tell me all about it at theweekendmaven@gmail.com.