Cookin’ at Children’s Theatre Company

Cookin’ playing at the Children’s Theatre Company is not a home grown production but rather a touring company that’s being hosted by the CTC. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a perfect fit for families though, it certainly is. This is the longest running show in South Korea and listed as one of the top ten tourist attractions in that country. It began life at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1999 and since then has been performed in 60 countries all over the world. It’s a unique opportunity to experience a touring company from another country. This one will appeal to all ages, it’s physical precision will amaze the adults in the audience, while the comedy and audience interaction will keep the wee ones engaged. Cookin’ takes theater off the stage and into the audience in ways that are suprising little moments of joy for the young ones in the crowd.

Featuring a very loose plot about the chefs in a Korean kitchen with one hour to prepare a wedding feast, and forced to allow the owners son to help. It’s all just an excuse to wow the audience with all manner of physical and musical feats. This show has a little bit of everything including, mad hibachi skills, magic, juggling, martial arts, percussion, and even a little romance. For me, the thing that always amazes with shows like this is the precision. I cannot imagine the stress I’d feel trying to rely on my body to successfully execute everything they do over the course of 90 minutes. In fact, I get a little anxious for them just watching from the audience. But, while I know they must make mistakes sometimes, they didn’t drop a plate or get out of sync for even a second at the performance I was at. It’s astonishing and the discipline and hours of practice that must go into being one of these performers is simply mind boggling. All of the physical stunts and comedic moments would be enough to recommend the show, but the folks behind Cookin’ go all out in terms of set design and lighting as well. By the time the finale comes, you feel like you’ve seen it all and then they do some lighting and staging that creates a whole new vibe for the last five to ten minutes of the show.

Cookin’ runs through October 22nd at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. For more information about the show and to purchase tickets go to https://childrenstheatre.org/whats-on/cookin/ . There are a couple of things you should know before going. Firstly, sit as close to the stage as you can. Secondly, if you don’t want to be pulled on stage, avoid sitting too close to the aisles. And lastly, it’s a 90 minute show with no intermission, personally I love that, but with small children this is your warning to limit liquids and insist on a restroom stop before the performance begins.

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