Road closures around Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay for National Day Parade Rehearsals 2025 from 14 Jun – 9 Aug 2025. Read more
Road closures around Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay for National Day Parade Rehearsals 2025 from 14 Jun – 9 Aug 2025. Read more
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Esplanade Presents
1 Aug 2025, Fri, 8pm
2 Aug 2025, Sat, 8pm
3 Aug 2025, Sun, 3pm
(Intermission: None)
Esplanade Theatre Studio
★★★★
“Haribo Kimchi is both a refined as well as a raw performance about life in a country that isn't yours.”
– De Standaard
“A performance that inimitably blends Korean cooking with personal stories and reflections on comfort food, identity and migration.”
– pzazz
The surprising flavour of seaweed soup, the sharp sound of a knife slicing cucumber, the hiss and sizzle of mushrooms on a scorching fire.
In Haribo Kimchi, we find ourselves in a pojangmacha, one of the typical late-night snack bars found on the streets of South Korea. There, we meet three characters—a snail, a gummy bear, and an eel—who take us on a culinary journey, exploring food as shelter for those dislocated from their culture. In a series of intimate, absurdist anecdotes, they recount the evolution of kimchi culture, the bitter pain of unadulterated racism, the shame of trying to blend in, and the deep umami taste of home.
This work comes from South Korean theatremaker and composer Jaha Koo, whose practice oscillates between multimedia and performance, encompassing his own music, video, text, and robotic objects. He rose to international prominence with his Hamartia Trilogy (2015 – 2021), a series of critically-acclaimed works which delved into the far-reaching imperialism in East Asia. The first two works of this trilogy, Lolling & Rolling and Cuckoo, were presented to packed houses at Singapore International Festival of Arts 2023, receiving rave reviews from audiences and critics alike.
Employing a hybrid style that combines music, cutting-edge video, and robotic performers, the artist reflects on cultural assimilation with all its conflicts and paradoxes. In an exceptional performance that plays with all the senses, he serves up personal stories marinated in sweet-and-sour melancholy.
More food for thought—how do you express your artistic values through theatre? Check out Jaha Koo’s masterclass on Valid Languages for the Intersection, perfect for performance-makers, arts students and practitioners.
Concept, Text, Direction, Music, Sound & Video Jaha Koo
Performance Gona, Haribo, Eel, Jaha Koo & Two Guests
Dramaturgy Dries Douibi
Scenography, Research Collaboration & Media Operation Eunkyung Jeong
Artistic Advice Pol Heyvaert
Technical Coordination Korneel Coessens
Technique Bart Huybrechts, Babette Poncelet & Jasse Vergauwe
Production Coordination Wim Clapdorp
English Proofreading Jason Wrubell
Snail Animation Vincent Lynen
Production CAMPO
Co-production Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), Rideau De Bruxelles, Theater Utrecht, SPRING Festival (Utrecht), Festival d’Automne À Paris, Théâtre De La Bastille (Paris), Tangente St. Pölten – Festival Für Gegenwartskultur, &Espoo Theatre (Espoo), International Summer Festival Kampnagel (Hamburg), Sophiensaele (Berlin), Meet You Festival (Valladolid), Bunker (Ljubljana), National Theatre And Concert Hall Taipei, The Divine Comedy International Theater Festival / Teatr Łaźnia Nowa (Kraków) & Perpodium
With the Support of The Taxshelter Of The Belgian Federal Government Via Cronos Invest & The Flemish Government
The prototype of the eel was developed as part of Innovation:Lab's funnel in co-production with Theater Utrecht and creative technologists Adriaan Wormgoor & Willem Vooijs.
Accessibility
Captioning Assistive Listening
There will be a post-show dialogue after each performance.
Jaha Koo
Jaha Koo (he/him) is a South Korean theatre/performance maker, music composer and videographer. His artistic practice oscillates between multimedia and performance, encompassing his own music, video, text, and robotic objects.
His Hamartia Trilogy includes Lolling and Rolling (2015), Cuckoo (2017), and The History of Korean Western Theatre (2020). The trilogy represents a long-term exploration of the political landscape, colonial history and cultural identity of East Asia. Thematically, it focuses on structural issues in Korean society and how the inescapable past tragically affects our lives today. His newest creation Haribo Kimchi premiered in June 2024.
Koo majored in Theatre Studies (BFA, 2011) at Korea National University of Arts and earned a master's degree (MA, 2016) at DAS Theatre in Amsterdam.
Assistive Listening
Assistive listening system is available for this venue. Hearing aid users with a Telecoil-enabled programme can benefit from the system provided. Please arrive at the venue 30 min before the performance so we can assist with the setup.
Captioning
Captioning is available for this performance.
Assistive Listening
Captioned
1 Aug 2025, Fri
8pm
2 Aug 2025, Sat
8pm
3 Aug 2025, Sun
3pm
Standard | Students, NSFs, Seniors & PWDs |
|
Price | $40 | $32 |
Standard Ticket
Concession Ticket
Esplanade&Me Specials
Early Bird (8 May – 8 Jun 2025, limited tickets)
Black: 20% savings
White: 15% savings
Discover: 15% savings (Min. 2 tickets)
From 9 Jun 2025, 10am (Limited tickets)
Black: 15% savings
White: 10% savings
Discover: 10% savings (Min. 2 tickets)
Applicable to Standard tickets only. Terms and Conditions apply.
The Studios 2025 Season Pass
(Available from 8 May – 20 Jul, 3pm, limited tickets)
Enjoy 20% savings when you purchase min. 1 ticket to each of the 5 applicable productions, valid for up to 4 tickets per production:
Haribo Kimchi
Tote Board Arts Grant
All Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges/ Centralised Institute & ITEs may use the Tote Board Arts Grant to subsidise up to 50% of the programme cost.
For more details, please contact Esplanade Box Office at 6828 8389 or email boxoffice@esplanade.com.
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