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life!í
THE STRAITS TIMES TUESDAY, MARCH 6 2012 PAGE C10
kenneth goh
Song Won Joon is not a celebritychef on a reality TV show. Yet,like Gordon Ramsay or JamieOliver, he uses his mouth asmuch as his hands when he
cooks.The 30-year-old has been making a lot
of noise in the kitchen at home ever sincehe started performing in South Koreantheatrical production Bibap, a musicalcomedy in which the cast make use ofkitchen equipment to produce a
ercussion symphony.With his vocal cords as his instru-
ment, Song produces sounds commonlyheard in the kitchen during the show,which plays at the Esplanade Theatrefrom March 30 to April 1. These includethe sizzling of fried food, rinsing of vege-tables and furious chopping action ofknives.
Problem is, this has become a habit forhim when he is cooking at home inGyeonggi province, outside Seoul.
Speaking to Life! in Korean through atranslator, Song says, with a laugh: “I’vestarted to make beatboxing sounds as Icook and it gets so noisy that my siblingstell me to cook quietly.”
Beatboxing is a hip-hop term thatdescribes a musician using his mouth andvoice to make percussive sounds thatsimulate a drumset.
The cast of Bibap was in town lastmonth to promote the show.
Bibap, which is short for bibimbap (atraditional Korean mixed rice andvegetable dish) and also refers to
eatboxing and the b-boys of hip-hop, isabout a culinary battle between twochefs.
While most of the ingredients used inthe show are props and no actual cookingtakes place on stage, ordinary cookingactions get spiced up with a mishmash ofaerobics, breakdancing and martial arts
movements.Catchy beatboxing sounds and a
cappella singing accentuate the dramaticaction throughout the 90-minuteperformance.
Bibap is produced by the same teambehind cooking-themed musical Nanta(1999) and dance comedy Breakout(2003), both of which came to Singaporein 2010. Breakout was also staged inSingapore in 2008.
Says Song, who plays MC Chef inBibap and was also part of the Breakoutcast: “The harmonious fusion of different
dance and music styles on the show isjust like the marriage of differentingredients in bibimbap.
“For more impact, I improvise thesounds, such as adding swirling soundeffects when handling a knife.”
It helps that he is familiar with kitchensounds, having learnt cooking from hisfather at 17.
In fact, he says he is a good cook: “Mybest dish is bulgogi (a barbecued meatdish), which I usually cook for my young-er siblings or for my girlfriend, when shecomes to visit me.”
A ct in g i s h ar de r f or h im , i ncomparison.
“In Breakout, it was about runningaround and looking shocked,” he says.
“But in this show, I have to display arange of emotions, from crying tolaughing uncontrollably, and it is difficultto react in different scenes that evokevastly different moods.”
His co-star Son Moon, 26, who playsRookie Chef, agrees that it is “difficult toswitch emotions while dancing”.
Son much prefers to let his feet do thetalking. He is, after all, the 2006
runner-up of the UK B-Boy Champion-ships, an international breaking competi-tion, and has been dancing professionallyfor 16 years.
He is also the choreographer of Bibap,and says the show’s combination of break-dancing and gongfu-inspired enactmentsof kitchen tasks, such as stir-frying andchopping, reflects the nutritious natureof bibimbap.
“This gives a more impactful anddynamic expression of bibimbap being afood that is good for one’s health.”
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BIBAP
Where: Esplanade TheatreWhen: March 30 at 8pm,March 31 at 3 and 8pm,April 1 at 3pmAdmission: $38, $50, $68,$80 from Sistic (call6348-5555 or go towww.sistic.com.sg)
book it
ibimbap with a dash of beatboxing In the South Koreancooking-themedtheatrical productionBibap, the cast,including beatboxerSong Won Joon (centre,with blue scarf),perform aerobics,breakdancing, martialarts moves, beatboxingand a cappella – but noactual cooking takesplace on stage.PHOTO: MEDIACORP
BABY BLUES
STONE SOUP
GET FUZZY
FOXTROT
GARFIELD
INSANITY STREAK
PEANUTS
NON SEQUITUR
South Korean theatricalproduction dishes outcooking drama with mixof dance and music
