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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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| 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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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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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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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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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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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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