Dance and Theatre

Previews, Interviews, and Reviews (yes, and Photos) of Dance and Theatre in Thailand (well, and elsewhere) written by "The Nation" dance and theatre critics
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Friday , August 8 , 2008

REVIEW: AF the Musical JO-JO SAN

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 12 , 00:10:58 | Category : Theatre 2008

"AF the Musical: Jo-Jo San" is an Asian minstrel show that’s ridden by marketing strategy, and neither playwriting nor music composition dexterity. In case someone forget: it’s 2008. The heart-wrenching, or tear-jerking, tale of Nagasaki’s world-famous geisha whose suicide proves her true love for her American navy officer husband has already been lauded one of the most politically incorre....

"AF the Musical: Jo-Jo San" is an Asian minstrel show that’s ridden by marketing strategy, and neither playwriting nor music composition dexterity. In case someone forget: it’s 2008. The heart-wrenching, or tear-jerking, tale of Nagasaki’s world-famous geisha whose suicide proves her true love for her American navy officer husband has already been lauded one of the most politically incorre....

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Thursday , August 7 , 2008

mourning DEATH; celebrating LIFE

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 9 , 23:08:59 | Category : Bangkok Festivals 2008

Ask anyone who was quick, and affluent, enough to book a ticket to last Wednesday’s concert by Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO)—respectively, one of the world’s greatest living conductors and busiest orchestras whose unique and strong partnership in spreading peace messages around the world has lasted more than three decades—and the responses would probably be unanimous. It’s t....

Ask anyone who was quick, and affluent, enough to book a ticket to last Wednesday’s concert by Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO)—respectively, one of the world’s greatest living conductors and busiest orchestras whose unique and strong partnership in spreading peace messages around the world has lasted more than three decades—and the responses would probably be unanimous. It’s t....

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Sunday , August 3 , 2008

LESS ABSURD than the original

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 106 , 00:12:03 | Category : Theatre 2008

For many drama students and playgoers all over the world, Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”, a masterpiece of absurdist drama, has probably been one of the most difficult plays to understand—leave alone enjoying.A commonly heard observation is that you may enjoy the play more when you get older and realize that there’s a lot in life which you can never make sense of. So, don’t bother twisting your....

For many drama students and playgoers all over the world, Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”, a masterpiece of absurdist drama, has probably been one of the most difficult plays to understand—leave alone enjoying.A commonly heard observation is that you may enjoy the play more when you get older and realize that there’s a lot in life which you can never make sense of. So, don’t bother twisting your....

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Friday , August 1 , 2008

FILM and MUSIC bring MEMORIES to LIFE

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 123 , 00:57:52 | Category : Singapore Arts Festival 2008

For a country that has imported performing arts events almost year-round, the arts festival organizer should perhaps look, much further and harder, for a kind of programme that would unlikely be presented outside such a privileged stage as a festival, even though that may translate as less excitement and lower ticket sales. Such is probably the case for the Asian premiere of “Sonos ‘E Memoria: In th....

For a country that has imported performing arts events almost year-round, the arts festival organizer should perhaps look, much further and harder, for a kind of programme that would unlikely be presented outside such a privileged stage as a festival, even though that may translate as less excitement and lower ticket sales. Such is probably the case for the Asian premiere of “Sonos ‘E Memoria: In th....

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Thursday , July 31 , 2008

NOT just another SAVE THE EARTH propaganda

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 147 , 01:11:14 | Category : Theatre 2008

Bangkok has a new playhouse, and it's not specifically built for Broadway-style musicals. That's good news. Records have already shown that we produce about twenty times more plays than musicals, and critics have pointed out that the former is more significant to Thai theatre than the latter.Despite its name, Naked Masks Playhouse’s inaugural production is not produced by the house company Naked Mask....

Bangkok has a new playhouse, and it's not specifically built for Broadway-style musicals. That's good news. Records have already shown that we produce about twenty times more plays than musicals, and critics have pointed out that the former is more significant to Thai theatre than the latter.Despite its name, Naked Masks Playhouse’s inaugural production is not produced by the house company Naked Mask....

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Monday , July 28 , 2008

classical music CONCERT OF THE YEAR

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 147 , 00:56:06 | Category : Bangkok Festivals 2008

If you don't already have one, good luck getting a ticket to Zubin Mehta's evening with the Israel Philharmonic. The Embassy of Israel in Bangkok and International Cultural Promotions' chairman JS Uberoi have worked together for five years to bring to fruition a dream of Bangkok's classical-music aficionados. Now, it is mission accomplished with Zubin Mehta conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestr....

If you don't already have one, good luck getting a ticket to Zubin Mehta's evening with the Israel Philharmonic. The Embassy of Israel in Bangkok and International Cultural Promotions' chairman JS Uberoi have worked together for five years to bring to fruition a dream of Bangkok's classical-music aficionados. Now, it is mission accomplished with Zubin Mehta conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestr....

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Saturday , July 26 , 2008

TEEN SUICIDE shocker

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 181 , 14:34:39 | Category : Dance 2008

Yes, that's 'Romeo and Juliet'. Bangkok ballet aficionados look forward to July every year, as that’s when the 12-year-old school and company Bangkok City Ballet (BCB) holds their annual performance, in which professional local dancers share the stage with guest stars from overseas. It’s now late July and so our wait is over. BCB’s artistic director Masako Hirata tells us, “Our July performance give....

Yes, that's 'Romeo and Juliet'. Bangkok ballet aficionados look forward to July every year, as that’s when the 12-year-old school and company Bangkok City Ballet (BCB) holds their annual performance, in which professional local dancers share the stage with guest stars from overseas. It’s now late July and so our wait is over. BCB’s artistic director Masako Hirata tells us, “Our July performance give....

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exclusive interview with WE WILL ROCK YOU lead actress ANNIE CRUMMER

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 171 , 07:26:25 | Category : Theatre 2008

Having just watched her performance as the merciless businesswoman/ dictator aptly named Killer Queen, walking into Annie Crummer’s dressing room at Rachadalai Theatre was quite a risk. Not until I spotted a plush doll of Winnie the Pooh on her window-side sofa bed. What a contrast to the costume, hair, and make-up she’s put on now. It’s obvious here: the real ....

Having just watched her performance as the merciless businesswoman/ dictator aptly named Killer Queen, walking into Annie Crummer’s dressing room at Rachadalai Theatre was quite a risk. Not until I spotted a plush doll of Winnie the Pooh on her window-side sofa bed. What a contrast to the costume, hair, and make-up she’s put on now. It’s obvious here: the real ....

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Thursday , July 24 , 2008

MEMORABLE Melbourne

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 139 , 11:00:55 | Category : Dance 2008 Theatre 2008

This is a compilation of THE NATION articles on Melbourne International Festival 2007, which I visited from October 14 to 19. Please enjoy, and I’m sorry that it’s very long. The 2008 festival is scheduled for October 9 to 25. Their website is www.MelbourneFestival.com.au. See you there! Interview with the Festival’s General ManagerAn international feast of contemporary dance, music and theatre tha....

This is a compilation of THE NATION articles on Melbourne International Festival 2007, which I visited from October 14 to 19. Please enjoy, and I’m sorry that it’s very long. The 2008 festival is scheduled for October 9 to 25. Their website is www.MelbourneFestival.com.au. See you there! Interview with the Festival’s General ManagerAn international feast of contemporary dance, music and theatre tha....

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Bangkok now needs its own MULTI-GENRE ARTS FESTIVAL

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 146 , 10:37:52 | Category : Dance 2008 Theatre 2008 Bangkok Festivals 2008

The number of arts venues in Bangkok - galleries, playhouses, and multi-purpose venues - has risen significantly in the past few years, consequently so has the number of arts events. And yet, one cannot categorically state that the arts are prospering here in the City of Angels. That's partly because the concept of the arts being for everyone has not yet been brought to its full fruition. When it com....

The number of arts venues in Bangkok - galleries, playhouses, and multi-purpose venues - has risen significantly in the past few years, consequently so has the number of arts events. And yet, one cannot categorically state that the arts are prospering here in the City of Angels. That's partly because the concept of the arts being for everyone has not yet been brought to its full fruition. When it com....

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SMALL venues packed with DRAMA

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 144 , 09:42:05 | Category : Theatre 2008

One reason the Bangkok audience has recently seen a rise in the number of theatre performances are the three new venues--Muangthai Rachadalai Theatre, Makhampom Studio and Crescent Moon Space--which have been operational for a little over a year now. With the media hype created by an enormous marketing budget, the public knows what has been happening on the Rachadalai stage, and people can easily cou....

One reason the Bangkok audience has recently seen a rise in the number of theatre performances are the three new venues--Muangthai Rachadalai Theatre, Makhampom Studio and Crescent Moon Space--which have been operational for a little over a year now. With the media hype created by an enormous marketing budget, the public knows what has been happening on the Rachadalai stage, and people can easily cou....

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Tuesday , July 22 , 2008

Waiting for GOR DOR

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 137 , 08:37:38 | Category : Theatre 2008

Fresh off the critical success of “Breaking the Surface” in May, veteran director Damkerng “Big” Thitapiyasak, a master of play adaptation (Rashomon, La Ronde, Push Up 1-2-3, to name a few), and his New Theatre Society troupe are now collaborating with Crescent Moon Theatre. This time, it’s one of the best known plays of the last century, Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot.” This prime example of th....

Fresh off the critical success of “Breaking the Surface” in May, veteran director Damkerng “Big” Thitapiyasak, a master of play adaptation (Rashomon, La Ronde, Push Up 1-2-3, to name a few), and his New Theatre Society troupe are now collaborating with Crescent Moon Theatre. This time, it’s one of the best known plays of the last century, Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot.” This prime example of th....

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Sunday , July 20 , 2008

exclusive interview with WE WILL ROCK YOU lead actor MiG

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 184 , 17:56:13 | Category : Theatre 2008

In “We Will Rock You”, ongoing until next Sunday (July 27), many Bangkok musical theatre lovers have found a new sweetheart in its leading star MiG Ayesa. At the curtain call of Bangkok’s premiere performance last Saturday matinee, the cheer for him was so deafening—a part of which was from the young woman sitting next to me in the theatre and in my car—that I had to ask the local producer for an exc....

In “We Will Rock You”, ongoing until next Sunday (July 27), many Bangkok musical theatre lovers have found a new sweetheart in its leading star MiG Ayesa. At the curtain call of Bangkok’s premiere performance last Saturday matinee, the cheer for him was so deafening—a part of which was from the young woman sitting next to me in the theatre and in my car—that I had to ask the local producer for an exc....

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Saturday , July 19 , 2008

au revoir “la fête 2008”

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 168 , 23:49:59 | Category : Dance 2008 Theatre 2008

Although this year’s French cultural festival “la fête” has already come to an end, it had successfully left positive impressions on Bangkok audiences. From critically acclaimed films to photography, music, performing arts and gastronomy, Thais were offered the chance to experience "French-ness", which translates as contemporariness in many aspects. And in this eclectic collection of ....

Although this year’s French cultural festival “la fête” has already come to an end, it had successfully left positive impressions on Bangkok audiences. From critically acclaimed films to photography, music, performing arts and gastronomy, Thais were offered the chance to experience "French-ness", which translates as contemporariness in many aspects. And in this eclectic collection of ....

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Friday , July 18 , 2008

sex, lies, and CHILD PORN

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 178 , 00:30:18 | Category : Theatre 2008

Both Thai and English titles of this play are eye-catching to most, even shocking to some—“Wao Thi Thuk Chak” (“The Masterbator”). However, young director Tanachon Chandruang—the oldest son of theatre guru Janaprakal “Kru Chang” Chandruang—and Moradok Mai Theatre Troupe do not aim to shock their audiences, but teach them a good lesson. This is a dramatic adaptation of a true story in 2000 when a priv....

Both Thai and English titles of this play are eye-catching to most, even shocking to some—“Wao Thi Thuk Chak” (“The Masterbator”). However, young director Tanachon Chandruang—the oldest son of theatre guru Janaprakal “Kru Chang” Chandruang—and Moradok Mai Theatre Troupe do not aim to shock their audiences, but teach them a good lesson. This is a dramatic adaptation of a true story in 2000 when a priv....

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