Magnificence in masks
Wacharawan Tanaput has been performing classical Thai dance since he was 13. Now 38, he's more than used to appearing on foreign stages and has travelled extensively to promote Thai arts to the world during his 25-year career.
Following shows at the Sandwell Theatre in Chicago last year and at a small London theatre early this year, last June 18 saw him realising a dream: performing at London's Royal Albert Hall.
It was an experience he'll never forget.
"Whenever I perform khon, I'm so proud to be promoting and conserving Thai culture. This time is really special, as this is one of the world's most majestic theatres," said Wacharawan, who played Thotsakan - the King of Longka Demon - in the one-off show celebrating the 60th birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
The Royal Albert Hall is always busy and its schedule is organised and confirmed at least a year in advance. Thailand was not invited to perform there but was able to do so thanks to the efforts of the Culture Ministry's permanent secretary, Prof Apinan Poshyananda, who approached the venue's director last year while preparing for the "Totally Thai" festival in honour of the Princess and to mark 160 years of relations between Thailand and Britain. Credit must also go to the show's adviser, Thanphuying Putrie Viravaidya, who works for the Princess on many of her projects.
Led by director Surat Eaimsa-Ard, the 60-member troupe comprising performers, musicians and crew and the production team from Ovation Studio entered the 3,500-seat-theatre around 4am and worked solidly for 15 hours rehearsing and preparing the stage for the evening's show.
To make sure the dancers would be able to perform on a stage they didn't know, the director blocked off the stage fitting for the Royal Albert Hall, which is smaller than our National Theatre, at the Bangkok venue. The performers rehearsed intensively for a full month, familiarising themselves with the layout.
But being on the real stage was totally different.
"I was so excited," Wacharawan said while being dressed for the part. "For me, the most difficult is being conscious of my performance in such a huge theatre."
The epic show was designed with a foreign audience in mind and with a modern presentation that showcased the beautiful costumes.
Telling the epic story of Ramakien, the Thai version of the Hindu Ramayana, the two-and-a-half-hour show portrayed episodes starting from Phra Rama pursuing the deer to the abduction of Sita and ended with the beautiful blessing dance. Narration was provided before each scene but the English subtitles were pulled at the last minute, with no reason given.
The 2,500-ticket show was almost full. The audience included Thais who live in the UK as well as British nationals and foreign tourists. While most enjoyed the first half of the show, many left before the two-hour mark, finding it hard to follow the performance without the promised English subtitles.
Although narrator Apichart Intravasit clearly briefed the audience in English prior to each episode, the non-Thais in the audience were unable to understand what was going on.
"The show was very beautiful and the costumes were so elegant. But I didn't really understand the details of the story," a Swedish tourist who stayed until the end told XP.
Although originally planned to run for 90 minutes, the added hour made the performance far too long. And while our graceful blessing dance is remarkable, it was also dragged out for too long.
The Thai monarchy has long used art and culture to open the Kingdom to the world and this time was no exception.
"All these performers act as our cultural ambassadors. Just as in the reign of the King Rama V, we use art and culture as the soft weapon to tighten our diplomat relationships," Apinan said.
Copyright: Asia News Network
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