Cookin' Celebrates First Anniversary Off-Broadway on March 9th

COOKIN' - the international stage sensation hailed by The New York Times as "a savory stew of skillful, high-energy, good fun" - will celebrate its first anniversary on Wednesday, March 9, at at Off-Broadway's Minetta Lane Theatre (18 Minetta Lane, Greenwich Village). Conceived and directed by Seung Whan Song, COOKIN' officially opened on Sunday, March 7, 2004.

COOKIN' is presented Off-Broadway by PMC Production Co. Ltd., Seung Whan Song, Kwang Ho Lee, The Broadway Asia Company, Simone Genatt Haft and Marc Routh, in association with Zemiro, Mort Swinsky and Amy Danis/ Mark Johannes. The play was recently presented as part of the 2003-2004 season at New York's New Victory Theatre.

COOKIN' stars Young Hoon Kim, Kang Il Kim, Seung Jun Lee, Chu Ja Seo and Ho Yeoul Sul. At certain performances, COOKIN' will be performed by Ji Wook Yang, Byung Ho Kim, Ji Won Kang, and Sung Min Lee.

Staged in a restaurant kitchen, COOKIN' is a hilarious non-verbal percussion show featuring four crazy Korean chefs who are working against the clock to prepare a complete wedding banquet. With an overheated Maitre D' intent on keeping the foursome on schedule, COOKIN' slices, dices, chops and beats a delightfully spellbinding blend of martial arts, drumming and dance that will leave audiences hungry for more!

Originally developed in Seoul by PMC Production Co. Ltd. in 1997, COOKIN' applies the traditional rhythms of Samulnori - a form of Korean music - to a fast-paced kitchen percussion show combining comedy, rhythm and non-verbal performance that culminate into a dynamic and delicious evening of performance. 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.

In the last five years, COOKIN' has delighted over two million people worldwide, having performed in more than 20 countries throughout Europe, Asia and North America. In Korea alone, more than one million people have attended performances of COOKIN', making it the longest-running show in the history of Korean Performing Arts.

COOKIN' features scenic design by Dong Woo Park, costume design by Hee Joo Kim, lighting design by Hak Young Kim and sound design by Jai Hyun Park.

COOKIN' plays Wednesday through Friday evenings at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m., 6p.m. and 9 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Tickets for COOKIN' are $40-65 and are available by calling the Minetta Lane Theatre Box Office at (212) 420-8000 or Ticketmaster.com at (212) 307-4100, or in person at the Minetta Lane Theatre Box Office (18 Minetta Lane, one block south of W. 3rd St., between 6th Ave. and McDougal St.).