Showing 1 - 8 of 8
The evolution of khon
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 22/04/2021
» Choreographer Jitti Chompee's ongoing khon project, which includes Melancholy Of Demon, a dance performance that I reviewed earlier this month, is supported by the Ministry of Culture and departments and offices under its umbrella. This is a surprising level of governmental support granted to a contemporary dance artist who wants to do not-so-genteel things with khon and the character of Tossakan. I still remember how in 2006 the Ministry of Culture reportedly forced Somtow Sucharitkul to change the scene in his opera Ayodhya that depicted the death of Tossakan (Ravan in the opera version) onstage, a practice that is considered a bad omen in Thailand.
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.
Passionate, but ultimately superficial
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 21/09/2017
» There is no shortage of passion and potential in the new Thai-language musical, 21¾, about the dreams and struggles of urbanites in their early 20s.
A colourful unpeeling of youth sexuality in Paula Vogel's play
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 10/03/2016
» After the success of The True History Of The Tragic Life and Triumphant Death Of Julia Pastrana, The Ugliest Woman In The World, Peel the Limelight returns with another thought-provoking and emotionally nuanced play, Paula Vogel's 1998 Pulitzer Prize–winning How I Learned To Drive. At once gentle and disturbing, funny and poignant, the play tells the story of Li'l Bit and her unusual relationship with Uncle Peck during her adolescence.
A decade in the limelight
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 30/12/2019
» In choosing the 10 best theatre productions of the decade, I started by listing some of my favourite productions, based almost purely on enjoyment. That would not do, of course. The more important questions are those of cultural and artistic impact. So of the shows that made it on this list, some are Thai-theatre-scene firsts, some are rarities, some are triumphs of age-old and underappreciated crafts. But all of them are ambitious, original and uncompromising. They have become indelible to me and, I hope, to many others. And they excited me then as much as they excite me now, looking back months and years later.
Theatre festival round-up
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 20/11/2014
» The 13th edition of the Bangkok Theatre Festival (BTF) has come and gone. This year, the theatre scene seems to have churned out a record-breaking number of productions and festivals. And somehow the small, yet growing community still manages to organise this annual theatre event and fill up most of the small venues around Bangkok.
One for the money, two for the show
Life, Amitha Amranand, Published on 22/08/2013
» Women Of Asia returns to the spotlight almost three decades after its conception here in Thailand. Written and directed by Korean-American theatre artist Asa Gim Palomera, the play comprises eight unrelated scenes and monologues inspired by real-life stories of women across Asia, collected from news articles and humanitarian agencies. And while in Palomera's hands the stories are moving and ring true, the play is stylistically dated and heavy-handed to the point of distraction.