[Exclusive] Interview With "Bibap" Korea Crew

Are you interested in Korean culture as much as you love K-Pop or K-Drama? As a K-Pop or K-Drama lover, I believe it is inevitable that one would not only fall in love with the country that produces all these great entertainment for our enjoyment but it is too, a natural development that we would come to love her culture as well, sooner or later 🙂

Having attended several Korean non-verbal musicals such as “B-boyz and the Ballerina“, “Jump“, “Break Out” and “Sachoom“, most of which features skillful break-dancing and beat-boxing by b-boyz crews, I was elated when I found out a new show — “Bibap“, would be making its way to Singapore this March! And I got to meet the crew few days ago when they held a promotional tour! Let’s get down to finding out what it means to be a musical stage actor!

Members of “Bibap”

Green Chef Jeon Joo Woo	Red Chef Hong Sang Jin	MC Chef Song Won Jun	Rhythm Chef Lee Dong Jae
Sexy Chef Jung Ji Eun	Cutie Chef Jeon Min Ji	Iron Chef Choi Jung Gil	Rookie Chef Son Noon

Q: When did you realize that you wanted to be a musical actor?

Cutie Chef: It was when I saw a performance by some children when I was studying in university.

Red Chef: I was inspired by “Cats.”

Q: What does it take to become a musical-comedy actor? Must one be musically-inclined or know break-dancing etc, to qualify?

Green Chef: All the roles in a musical have different requirements but we build our talents from experience.

Q: What did you do before you got into the musical industry?

MC Chef: I was part-timing as a water delivery boy when I was still studying.

Green Chef: I was in many jobs — a restaurant operator, worked in a trading company and even sold street food.

Q: How many hours do you practice ?

Producer: It takes 2 years to prepare for a show debut, they would rehearse for 10 hours daily pre-debut and 3 hours every day after the show debuted.

Q: How is the typical day of a stage performer? What do you do in your free time?

MC Chef: Watching movies.

Rookie Chef: Reading comic books!

Iron Chef: I practice playing the guitar when I have time.

Red Chef: I like to play archery.

Green Chef: I enjoy painting, besides drinking!

Q: What’s the most fun part of being a musical performer?

Cutie Chef: Free food and hotel (lodging) when we are on a tour!

Rookie Chef: Meeting new friends!

Q: What is the hardest part?

Green Chef: Meeting the changing expectations of the audience. Their expectations 4 to 5 years ago and now are very different and much higher.

Q: What has been the biggest challenge for the group?

Producer: We want to perform “Bibap” in London, Paris and other parts of the world and make “Bibap” become Korean Wave.

Q: The Singaporean audience are known to be less spontaneous, what if the audience doesn’t respond as well as desired?

Green Chef: “Bibap” is good! We trust them to laugh and enjoy the show!

Q: Please give some words of encouragement to our readers who may wish to pursue a career in musical acting and invite them to come and watch your performance.

Red Chef: Life as a musical actor is very difficult, don’t become one, pay is very little (laughs!) Just joking! Trust yourself and work hard, keep trying!

“Bibap”, based mainly on Korean’s popular dish “bibimbap”, engages all your senses and keeps you entertained throughout the performance. It is a non-verbal culinary comedy that displays the unconventional cooking skills of two highly talented sous chefs.

B-boys also show off powerful moves and amidst other genres such as martial arts, dance, and beat-box music with much interactions with audiences. Such elements are well put together to create the tasty dish “bibimbap” and you might just be the one to taste the dish on the spot!

Since its debut in 2009, “Bibap” has been staged and well-received at food conferences as well as global venues like the “2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe”.This highly interactive show, “Bibap”, has been heralded as the pioneer of a new culture code, “Eatertainment”, a combination of “eating” and “entertainment.”

Tickets are available on Sistic.

EVENT DATE 
Mar 30 – April 1
Fri – Sat, 8PM
Sat – Sun, 3PM

DURATION

VENUE
Esplanade Theatre

TICKET PRICE (EXCLUDE BOOKING FEE)
Standard – S$80, S$68, S$50, S$38
VIP Box – S$80
BOX B-G – S$80
Restricted View – S$38

Special thanks to VizPro International and Rendezvous Grand Hotel.