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Cuckoo which played in the project arts centre on the 14th and 15th of September as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival was an informative piece of theatre that was also aesthetically pleasing. The set itself, at first glance was relatively mundane made up of three rice cookers (which I initially thought were vacuum cleaners) on a table and a plain white screen to project imagery. Once the show commenced however the set truly came alive with shocking yet beautiful imagery of protests taking place across South Korea. The rice cookers turned out to not only be able to cook rice but also sing and argue aggressively adding a comedic element to the performance. The rice cookers had a deeper meaning the ‘cuckoo’ is a brand of rice cooker that was created after the IMF agreement was signed that would destine the financial struggle of an entire generation of South Koreans. The ‘cuckoos’ in this performance signify something that almost every South Korean family has, but a commodity that the people of South Korea would never receive money for. Instead the major earnings from the sales of the ‘cuckoo’ would go to wealthy American businessman, who financially benefited from the South Korean IMF agreement signed in 1997. Cuckoo discusses an issue that I’m sure most Irish citizens myself included are not aware of the rise of suicide rates across South Korea due to the impossible economic situation they find themselves in. This is highlighted throughout as Jaha Koo the man who created this piece tells deeply personal stories of his own migration due to the economic climate and his friend committing suicide because he cannot cope with the financial strain put on him and his young family. At the very final moment of play we see Jaha Koo take the rice he made with his rice cooker and create a figure of a man standing at the top of a tower jumping off mirroring the suicide of his close friend. This ending scene beautifully ties set and storey together while also hammering home the purpose of Cuckoo. The current economic situation in South Korea is unbearable for the majority of the population.