Showing 1 - 10 of 15
The Last Supper?
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 16/06/2022
» It's no surprise that as Covid restrictions are easing around the world, people are seeking new experiences to pluck themselves from mundanity, and to see, touch, smell and taste things in ways that awaken them. Why sit inside a theatre when you can walk around an art space or a neighbourhood while stories are spoken into your ears? Why only eat in cafes and restaurants when you can do that and watch a scene of a play unfold? Why dine in a restaurant when you can dine in an old airplane and participate in strange, semi-religious rituals?
A stroll through nostalgia and hope
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 21/04/2022
» After the first Covid lockdown in Thailand in 2020, the first performance that brought Bangkok theatregoers back to the physical space was Fullfat Theatre's Save For Later. At that time, the number of cases in Thailand was at a negligible level, and the idea of physical distancing and other pandemic measures were still a novelty. These inconveniences and constraints inspired and pushed theatre artists to experiment and create. Digital technology had a large presence in live performances back then, even in on-site ones.
Of madness and joy
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 25/11/2019
» We review two original works -- a Thai-language political satire and an English-language musical -- with LGBTQ central characters.
A political message of hope
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 06/09/2019
» Back with the second of three productions to celebrate its 33rd anniversary, DreamboxTheatre Bkk steps into the future with a new playwright and fifth sung-through musical, Namngoen Tae: The Musical.
A double bill of different
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 05/07/2019
» Cleaning has never looked so fun, violent and spooky. Young theatre artists Kawin Bhichitkul of Dee-ng Theatre and Surat Kaewseekram of B-floor Theatre spin visually exciting tales with disposed objects in a double-bill performance, What's Left: Resonance From The Discarded, at WTF Bar & Gallery.
Angel on a mission
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 27/06/2019
» The theatre scene is marking a few anniversaries this year. First, B-floor Theatre celebrated its 20th birthday with an outdoor musical version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. This month, an even older company, Dreambox, originally named Dass Entertainment, kicked off its 33rd-anniversary celebration with a revival of an old musical from its early days. The company will bring back another musical in November, Mae Nak: The Musical, which came from what they consider to be the company's second period in their development. And in a few months, Dreambox will stage Namngoen Thae, a new musical adapted from a historical novel of the same name by one of Thailand's most popular novelists, Lin Lyovarin.
Garden of dreams and delights
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 09/05/2019
» B-floor Theatre, Thailand's only physical theatre company, turns 20 this year. And they are marking the occasion with Shakespeare.
New singers, oldest band
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 28/03/2019
» The Suntaraporn Foundation has been staging musicals for seven years, and I finally made the time to go see one this past Sunday. Theatre critics in Bangkok are very aware of their annual productions, but we have largely ignored it. Perhaps it has to do with our limited definition of "contemporary theatre", and our tendency to turn our noses up at anything that feels traditional and conservative.
Who's the hero here?
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 28/03/2019
» Scene Zero's Shogo Tanikawa emerges with another play about outsiders. While last year's 4 Seasons draws sensitive and convincing portraits of Thai immigrants in Japan, this year's Hero gives us characters that are either blurry or just plain ludicrous.
No comfort for young women
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 17/08/2018
» One of the biggest issues commanding media attention in the past year has been that of gender violence. And Peel the Limelight has dedicated this year to staging plays that shed light on the topic from different angles, starting with a production of Agnes Of God, about a young nun with a history of abuse. That was followed by I Am My Own Wife, a one-person play about the life of a transgender woman during World War II and the Communist regime in East Berlin.