THE HISTORY of the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) dates back 60 years and its Thailand centre, now in its fifth year of operation, remains the only national section in the Asean Economic Community. With the continuous kind support of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), the Thai critics will again hold their IATC Thailand Dance and Theatre Review 2015 there on March 22, where they’ll hand out Thailand’s only awards for contemporary dance and theatre.

After giving the audience and artists their overview and analysis on what happened on stage in 2015 and how it affected the development of contemporary dance and theatre in Thailand, the critics will single out exemplary works in 11 categories, covering plays, musicals and movement-based performances. But the highlight, of course, is the Lifetime Achievement award, for which the critics have unanimously selected Thailand’s most prolific playwright Daraka Wongsiri.

A graduate of Chulalongkorn University’s Department of Dramatic Arts, Daraka co-founded DASS Entertainment – the first two letters of her first name are that of the company’s – now known as Dreambox, in 1990 and has since worked as its resident dramatist.

She has penned more than 30 plays and musical books known for well-rounded characters, up-to-date situations, and underlying social commentary. Theatregoers still can recall – and theatre students are studying – such dramas as “Kulab si lueat” “(“The Crimson Rose”, 1988) and “Sutsai plai rung” (“Where the Rainbow Ends”, 1991) in addition to such satirical comedies as “Thuen theuk” (“Old Maids”, 1992), which was later followed by three sequels, and “Sam sao sam sam” (“Three Misbehaving Women”, 1996).

Musical fans have been delighted by her adaptation of “Khu kam” (“A Doomed Couple”, 2003), “Mae Nak” (2009), “Pritsana” (2012), which won best musical book award, and last month’s “Mom”.

Critics are still mum about the winners in the other 11 categories, but have announced the finalists, including works by both commercial and independent companies and some of which you may not have heard.

Physical theatre company B-Floor was the year’s most productive and its works are spread across all categories in the nomination list with the exception of the musical. B-Floor has confirmed it won’t be staging one soon.

For example, and for the first time ever here and indeed a rare case anywhere, three directors from B-Floor are up against one another in the best direction award – Jarunun Phantachat for “Test of Endurance”, Dujdao Vadhanapakorn for “The Secret Keeper” and Teerawat Mulvilai for “Manoland”. The former two works are also nominated for best art direction category, in which another contender is a site-specific work “The Campus”.

In the best movement-based performance category, “The Secret Keeper” and “Manoland” are running against Pichet Klunchun Dance Company’s “The Gentlemen” whose cast is also contending the best performance by an ensemble award, up against “Manoland” and another B-Floor work “WW101”.

Three nominated performances by male artist are those of National Artist Suprawat Pattamasoot in “Hom Rong: The Musical”, Thongchai Phimanphansiri in “Whaam!: The Brief History of Unknown Astronaut” and Jaturachai Srichanwanpen in “3 Days in May”.

Their female counterparts are Jaturachai’s sole co-performer Parnrut Kritchanchai, Silpathorn artist Sineenadh Keitprapai in “S-21” and crooner Pijika Jittaputta in “Phaendin Khong Rao: The Musical”.

Nominees for best original scripts are “Ceci n’est pas la politique”, “Whaam!” and “3 Days in May”; for adaptation, “Norwegian Wood”, “Dogtooth” and “Malady of Death”; and for musical books, “Mangkon Salat Klet”, “The Lady of Siam” and “Wedding Day”.

In a year when we had a chance to watch a new musical almost every month, finalists for best musical award are Anatta Theatre Group’s “Mangkon Salat Klet”, Guts Entertainment’s Thai translation of “The Sound of Music” and Scenario’s “Wedding Day”.

And while B-Floor is not known for spoken drama, its “Ceci n’est pas la politique” was a breakthrough of sorts and has been nominated for best play, along with Splashing Theatre Company’s “Whaam!” and For WhaT Theatre’s “3 Days in May”.

Will B-Floor sweep the floor? We’ll soon find out.

PICK A WINNER

– The IATC Thailand Dance and Theatre Review 2015 is at 6pm on March 22 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.

– For more details, check http://www.Facebook.com/IATC.Thailand.

 

HAVING WATCHED and worked on a few android theatre projects by Japan’s Seinendan Theatre Company, I’ve become a fan of robots in performance, though that’s probably in part due to my frequent childhood playtime with Gundum. At the Esplanade Theatre Studio last Saturday evening, the audience attending “Huang Yi and Kuka” witnessed how the Germany-born and Taiwan-bred robot Kuka worked with human dancers from Huang Yi Studio. Much to everyone’s amazement and notwithstanding its industrial look, the droid moved in such a precise way that it seemed it too had been trained in classical ballet. Bending, twisting and even picking up extra equipment in different scenes to play with the dancers and the audience, it added many surprises to the 70-minute performance and reminded us of the credit due to the human artists and technicians who created this happy marriage of art and technology.

Having watched and been astounded by U-Theatre’s performances in Lyon and Bangkok, I was also looking forward to their new work “Beyond Time” at the Esplanade Theatre, which explores the relationship between man and universe. With training in traditional drumming and martial arts, U-Theatre performers are both musicians and dancers and in comparison to the other two works of theirs I watched, the production design of “Beyond Time” with reflecting stage floor and video images not only filled up space and added excitement but also drew the audience into the performance. The 75-minute experience was a little like meditating and with my eyes and ears focused on such an aural and visual treat, I was transported to share the space and time with U-Theatre’s performers. It was only when I came back to the real world that I realised that mystery as well as philosophy remained to be studied and I was glad that I was only middle-aged.

What’s fun about going to a festival is you can try watching a performance by an artist you’ve never heard of, in a language you do not understand, and become a new fan. Such was the case for me at the Esplanade Concert Hall where I enjoyed a late afternoon musical treat by Chinese singing sensation Gong Linna. Thanks in part to her partner-in-crime and in-life, German composer Robert Zollitsch, this collaboration not only showcased a wide range of vocal and singing skills but also brought traditional poems and folk songs to new life on a contemporary, and international, stage. My favourite was her rendition of “The Golden Cudgel”. This not only allowed classical Chinese opera singing techniques to come to the fore but the monkey god Sun Wukong, and his adventures involving several transformations, to come alive in the audience’s imagination. We returned after the intermission with high expectations for the second half of the concert and were not disappointed.

Like Huang Yi, this is an artist not strictly confined to her background but one who keeps experimenting and exploring new possibilities. And that’s why their works can be universally understood and appreciated.

And so I watched three Huayi performances in the space of 23 hours – with enough sleep and good food in-between. Back in my car driving into the city of Bangkok, I put on Gong’s double-CD album to relive my fond memories of her performance.

While Chinese New Year means little to me, the Huayi experience gave me enough joy and inspiration for this year of the monkey.

The writer thanks the Esplanade’s See Ling Ling for all assistance.

MORE THIS WEEKEND

– Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts runs until Sunday at the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay in Singapore. A highlight this weekend is the Cantonese version of Yasmina Reza’s “God of Carnage” by Dionysus Contemporary Theatre from Hong Kong.

– Many programmes are free. For tickets, check http://www.Sistic.com.sg. For more details, visit http://www.HuayiFestival.com.

– Coming up at the Esplanade is the Super Japan – Japanese Festival of Arts from May 13 to 22. Performers include Butoh company Sankai Juku and J-pop singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. For details, check http://www.Esplanade.com.

 

“THE STORY IS deeply spiritual and famous the world over,” says Paul Ewing, the artistic director of Ewing Entertainment Worldwide of his production of “Dracula: Blood Is Life”, which begins its three-week Bangkok run tonight.

Ewing, a former cast member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and now a resident of Bangkok, is confident that what promises to be a largely Thai audience will understand and enjoy the show.

“What I like about living in Thailand is the deeply spiritual atmosphere, which is very different from that in the West, where Christianity is still part of who we are but not quite as it used to be. That openness to spirituality and the tradition of storytelling are major parts of Thai culture,” he tells XP.

” The story of ‘Dracula’ deals with the spiritual force and the personification of evil and how it interrupts individual lives and reverberates into their society. Wherever we are or whatever culture we come from, there are issues of evil, goodness, innocence, chastity, sex, lust, romance and desire.”

Instead of British playwright Liz Lochhead’s stage adaptation, Ewing has picked American playwright Steven Dietz’s version which, he says, “sticks more to the original text [novel] by Bram Stoker. Lochhead’s is a very difficult text” and wouldn’t communicate as well with audiences in Asia.”

British director Joe Harmston, highly renowned for his West End production of August Strindberg’s “The Father” adds, “[Dietz’s version] has sheer energy driving the story through a whole series of short scenes. I think that audience members whose first language isn’t English will enjoy a clear telling of the story and actually endlessly be moved on, irrespective of whether they understand it all or not,”

Comparing “Dracula” to “The Father”, Harmston says, “The stories that I’m always attracted to are the ones that focus on human relationships and characters wrestling with the clash between their hearts and strengths and particularly social conventions. My first response when I heard Paul was doing ‘Dracula’ was ‘Really?’ as I was recollecting all those 1970s Christopher Lee movies with buckets of blood but no human connection. Then I read the novel for the very first time as well as Dietz’s play and I was struck by what it’s actually all about. There’s so much to do with the world of desires and social conventions as well as the way evil spirits find their way into human behaviour through our desires.

“Evil, as it’s portrayed here as is often the case with drama, is like a virus that develops fast in the healthiest body. Great horror movies are ones where the person next to you – usually a wonderful friend – suddenly tries to kill or rape you. That’s far more disturbing and actually more real.”

Explaining why he cast musician Chulachak “Hugo” Chakrabongse in the title role, Harmston says, “I like his artistic credentials and he’s a natural performer. It’s been an interesting voyage for him in terms of honing his [music] talents to the particular needs of this stage production, but he got every element right. We don’t want Dracula to be a cartoon character and Hugo’s appeal and subtlety as well as his rock ‘n’ roll background which genuinely connect to the darker side of the world are a perfect fit.”

As for Myra Molloy who’s portraying Lucy, he says, “I met her in London and I think she has an interesting raw talent. She’s genuinely keen to learn more. It’s been a fascinating journey with hard work for her to develop confidence to be thinking constructively about what she’s doing [creating a storytelling performance as Lucy].”

Other members include, among others, rising RSC star William Belchambers who will perform the title role this weekend, Thai actor Vin Kridakorn as Jonathan Harker, Ewing himself as Renfield, and veteran British actor Joe Dixon, who starred in Harmston’s “The Father” and the hit movie “The Mommy Returns”, as Van Helsing.

A highly anticipated theatrical event in the region, many foreign producers are flying into Bangkok, including one from the Nederlander in New York, to see if they’d like to take it further.

Ewing explains, “Horror is a part of entertainment culture in Asia. Apart from the story, which is the spine of the work, we’ve also invested a lot of time, intellect, skills and gifts in this ‘made-in-Thailand’ production to the point where we can confidently call it world-class in terms of our cast and crew. We’ve done this on purpose so as to be able to take this commercially accessible production, which is also entertaining, to other countries where the audience will be fascinated by the aesthetics of the piece.”

The creative team includes set designer Sean Cavanagh, whose credits include more than 500 productions worldwide, Knight of Illumination Award-winning lighting designer Ben Cracknell, visionary costume designer Rachael Forbes, who recently worked with Sarah Brightman on her world tour, magic consultant John Bulleid, associate of the Inner Magic Circle with Silver Star, movement director Simeon John-Wake, Tony- and Drama Desk-nominated composer Kevan Frost in addition to Thai sound designer Tada Mitrevej.

In short, “Dracula” is a must-see play. Don’t miss it.

DRINK IT IN

”Dracula: Blood Is Life” runs until March 6 at the K-Bank Siam Pic-Ganesha Centre of Performing Arts in Siam Square One.

It’s in English with Thai surtitles. Due to the content, it is not recommended for children under the age of 12.

Shows are at 7.30pm on Thursdays and Fridays, 2pm and 7.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays. There are also school matinees at 2pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, followed by discussions with the cast and crew.

Tickets cost Bt1,200 to Bt3,800. School matinee seats are Bt1,000 (first circle) and Bt1,850 (stall). For details, check http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

Special this weekend only – tickets for tonight can be purchased for 50-per-cent off and 20-per-cent of for tomorrow’s and Sunday’s shows.

Find out more at http://www.TheDraculaShow.com.

My first time in an American theatre 22 years ago wasn’t on Broadway but a small theatre studio in Seattle where I was astounded by a production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Assassins”.

Watching Bangkok Studio 41’s production of “The Wife: A New Musical”, the company’s adaptation of National Artist Krissana Asoksin’s novel “Mia Luang”, last Thursday at Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts reminded me of that experience. After being turned off by mediocre and less than memorable musicals throughout these years, only to be occasionally rejuvenated overseas by watching works like “The Book of Mormon” and “Once”, I have become something less than a fan of this genre of theatre.

Set in an arena stage where the audience is close to the stage actions and can hear the true voices of the performers, “The Wife” takes us into the married life of Wikanda. A fine-looking woman with an impeccable social and educational upbringing, she is married to Anirut, a man of equal breeding but with one flaw: he just can’t keep his hands off the ladies.

Capturing the heart and soul of the novel which is more than 800 pages long and seems better fitted to TV drama, the musical book is complete in itself. Scenes feel neither too short nor too long, there’s no rushing through any part of the story and no attempt is made to cram in more information. Like the novel itself, it proves that there’s more we need to know and understand about our patriarchal society and how it has been creating mia luang (legitimate wives) and mia noi (minor wives ). Thanks to our overexposure to TV soap depictions, we think we know all about them.

Performed with a piano, a violin and percussion, the music doesn’t try to do too much – it serves the dramatic purposes and doesn’t try to climb the pop charts. Even better, the lyrics fit the musical notes. Although it’s a work by three composers and another musical director, it sounds like the work of just one.

With two highly acclaimed title role performances in “Miss Saigon” and “Cixi Taihou” under her belt, Kanda Witthayanuparpyuenyong delivers a knockout performance with sheer subtlety, and clear diction. When she sang “I am his home” and “I am the legitimate wife” with such strong compassion, I found myself crying. I don’t have any direct experience of this mia luang-mia noi arrangement, but I thought of many friends who do and I understand them better now. Another two show-stoppers, who nail it with their characterisation and singing prowess, are Lalita Tubthong as Nuan, a maid and in-house mia noi for Anirut, and Phitchaya Muangsukham as the prime minister’s wife, from whose experience Wikanda could learn.

Much credit is due to director Chavatvit Muangkeo, who clearly understands how to work in an arena stage, not common in this country and a major challenge for any director, with only chairs as set-props and makes full and deft use of his ensemble of chorus actresses. He needs, though, to spend additional time coaching young actress Kamolvasu Chutisamoot as Nudee, a rural girl who becomes Wikanda’s assistant and another of Anirut’s mistresses. Despite having a beautiful voice, she was always upstaged by her senior actresses. Perhaps he needs also to rethink his characterisation of Orn-in, who looks and sounds too stereotypical in this otherwise unorthodox work.

Despite suffering from jetlag, I didn’t yawn once during this 150-minute musical.

It’s not yet the end of January and I’m sure I’ll watch many more musicals this year, but I’ve already made a note that “The Wife” is a strong contender for IATC Thailand Award 2016 for best musical, best book, best direction, best performance by a female artist and best performance by an ensemble.

And coupled with “Mom: The Musical” which ended yesterday, January has truly been a memorable month for Thai musicals.

SOCIAL SITUATIONS

n “The Wife: A New Musical” continues from Thursday to Saturday at the Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts at Chulalongkorn University. It’s in Thai with English surtitles.

n Shows are at 7.30 nightly and at 2pm on Saturday. The venue is on Henri Dunant Road, a 10-minute walk from BTS Siam, Exit 6.

n Tickets are Bt800 (buy four or more and it’s Bt600 each; Bt300 for students. Call (094) 931 3434 or visit http://www.BangkokStudio41.com.

YOU DON’T HAVE to be a dog lover to fall head over four heels with “Mom: The Musical”, a new stage adaptation of MR Kukrit Pramoj’s short story. You just have to know how to love, unconditionally.

After more than a year away from their home base M Theatre, Dreambox made a triumphant comeback with Daraka Wongsiri’s book and lyrics, which grasps the heart of the much-loved original story as much as hearts of the audience.

The audience cannot help but be deeply touched by how Mom, a mixed breed stray dog adopted by a small middle-class family torn apart by World War II, remains loyal to his master, notwithstanding many difficult circumstances.

And while the rendition of the war background scenes might seem to slow down the play at first, the audience is quick to understand the message: while men keep making wars, the pooches are doing the opposite.

Daraka’s lifelong collaborator veteran director Suwandee Jakravoravudh has made the right decision in choosing to use life-sized puppets, each manipulated by one actor-puppeteer, to portray the canine characters. She has also cast the right actors to play each dog and evidently spent long hours training them to work with puppets as many really look, sound and move like them. Much credit is also due to young puppet master Supthanit Thitachaiyasit. The stage illusion is as real as it could get and oftentimes the audience is watching and listening to these dog puppets as if they were actual dogs and could really talk.

Songsin Sirikhunarat as Mom is both sincere in his acting and excellent in his singing and can really carry the play. Equally unforgettable is Vasuthida Punwattana as his love interest Si Nuan and Kaewkarn Chuenpennit as his mother Waen. I’m sure I’m not the only member of the audience who will look forward to watching and hearing all three of them, professional singers who can also act equally well, in their next stage musicals. As Mom’s mistress, Teeranai Na Nongkhai is also convincing. With such a strong cast of singers and actors with more stage experience, Jitrakup Suntornsilpchai, as Mom’s master, is somewhat overshadowed, especially in his duet with Teeranai, and only shines when his character returned home after the war.

Composer Suthee Sangsereechon has delivered a masterpiece with the musical theme song “A dog’s shadow in the moon” and its two reprisals have enough variations to avoid repetition. His experiment in using dogs’ barking and howling sounds in some songs is also effective and endearing, though some tunes might sound just a little too familiar to fans of his work. Another letdown is the overwrought projection design, which makes the visual overview of this simple and touching play too busy.

A middle-aged man with long hair and a moustache was seen wiping his tears as he left the M Theatre last Saturday afternoon. He too has a dog, a slightly overweight and hopefully fully-grown one year old. The musical reminded him that there are two persons in this whole wide world who give him their unconditional love and for whom he hasn’t been able to do much in return. Perhaps that’s about to change.

PAWS FOR THOUGHT

– “Mom: The Musical” continues on Saturday and Sunday and on January 23 and 24 at M Theatre on New Petchaburi Road, between Thong Lor and Ekamai. Shows are at 2pm and 7.30pm on Saturday and 2pm on Sunday.

– Tickets are from Bt1,000 to Bt 2,500. For details, (085) 416 6661-4 or online at http://www.Dreambox.co.th.