Korean kitchen show to debut at Israeli arts festival

A Korean musical comedy combining cooking and high-energy percussion will be performed at a summer festival in Israel this month, the show's production company said Tuesday (June 3).

PMC Production Co. said "Nanta" will be staged eight times at the Mediatheque and Sherover theaters in Jerusalem from June 5-17 at the invitation of Mediateque, the organizer of the May 24-June 22 festival.

The comedy, known as "Cookin'" in English, applies the rhythms of traditional Korean percussion and the body movements of martial arts to a familiar kitchen background. Utensils found in the kitchen -- pots, chopsticks and knives -- are the instruments used to make music and provide fun. The story revolves around four chefs who have to create a wedding banquet in just one hour.

The Israeli debut will raise the number of cities and countries where the show has been performed since 1997 to 211 and 27, respectively, PMC said.

The show has toured around 250 cities in more than 30 countries. It ran on Broadway in New York for one and a half years, the first production from Korea to do so.