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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Tuesday , September 30 , 2008

1ST week @ the 10TH FEST

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 170 , 21:49:54 | Category : Dance 2008 Theatre 2008 Bangkok Festivals 2008

Despite less media buzz and lower ticket sales than previous years, partly due to the current political and economic situations, Bangkok’s 10th International Festival kicked off in grand style and, with a wide variety of programmes, is running at its full strength. On Monday 15th September at Thailand Cultural Centre, HRH Princess Somsawalee graciously presided over the symphony concert by the Russia....

Despite less media buzz and lower ticket sales than previous years, partly due to the current political and economic situations, Bangkok’s 10th International Festival kicked off in grand style and, with a wide variety of programmes, is running at its full strength. On Monday 15th September at Thailand Cultural Centre, HRH Princess Somsawalee graciously presided over the symphony concert by the Russia....

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Friday , September 26 , 2008

BREAK OUT!

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 188 , 21:08:42 | Category : Dance 2008 Theatre 2008

Hip, hectic and hilarious, 'Break Out' is where you land after you 'Jump'.K-Fever strikes Bangkok again next week. And this epidemic goes beyond music, television dramas, and films that we’re also familiar with.Back in 1997, a new trend of non-verbal comic stage performance started with “Nanta” (or “Cookin'”), which spiced up choreographed cooking routines with simple plot, recognizable characters wh....

Hip, hectic and hilarious, 'Break Out' is where you land after you 'Jump'.K-Fever strikes Bangkok again next week. And this epidemic goes beyond music, television dramas, and films that we’re also familiar with.Back in 1997, a new trend of non-verbal comic stage performance started with “Nanta” (or “Cookin'”), which spiced up choreographed cooking routines with simple plot, recognizable characters wh....

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Thursday , September 18 , 2008

UBON, comic strips, single parenthood, and male ejaculation

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 279 , 21:37:10 | Category : Theatre 2008

Since his directing debut “Sunflower” in January and the year’s most experimental theatre “Welcome to Nothing” in April, Nophand Boonyai has not only become today’s most prolific man of theatre, but also had a group of loyal young fans. You can argue that it’s partly because of his looks and charm—apart from writing and directing, he performed in those two plays; but you cannot decline the fact that ....

Since his directing debut “Sunflower” in January and the year’s most experimental theatre “Welcome to Nothing” in April, Nophand Boonyai has not only become today’s most prolific man of theatre, but also had a group of loyal young fans. You can argue that it’s partly because of his looks and charm—apart from writing and directing, he performed in those two plays; but you cannot decline the fact that ....

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Sunday , September 14 , 2008

Lost GirlZ: NO Fairy Tales

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 300 , 15:21:36 | Category : Theatre 2008

Guys and girls in the audience will probably not be lost if they do some literature homework before watching Naked Masks’ “Lost GirlZ”. Two months before Bangkok Theatre Festival 2008, local theatre groups are gearing up at full speed for the year’s biggest showcase. This weekend, despite the political and economic woes, all three small theatre venues—Makhampom Studio, Crescent Moon Space, and Naked ....

Guys and girls in the audience will probably not be lost if they do some literature homework before watching Naked Masks’ “Lost GirlZ”. Two months before Bangkok Theatre Festival 2008, local theatre groups are gearing up at full speed for the year’s biggest showcase. This weekend, despite the political and economic woes, all three small theatre venues—Makhampom Studio, Crescent Moon Space, and Naked ....

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Sunday , September 7 , 2008

contemporary dance theatre comments on MEDIA and TECHNOLOGY

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 264 , 23:52:49 | Category : Dance 2008 Theatre 2008

Contemporary dance theatre “In Tune” was such a one-of-a-kind that it should not have been a once-off. While artists around the world are breaking free from the limitations of their disciplines and creating works that could not be pigeon-holed into any category and thus increasing the number and widening the expectation of their audiences, most Thai artists, and audiences, seem to sit and work comfo....

Contemporary dance theatre “In Tune” was such a one-of-a-kind that it should not have been a once-off. While artists around the world are breaking free from the limitations of their disciplines and creating works that could not be pigeon-holed into any category and thus increasing the number and widening the expectation of their audiences, most Thai artists, and audiences, seem to sit and work comfo....

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Saturday , August 30 , 2008

BARE Facts

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 360 , 00:08:26 | Category : Theatre 2008

"Plueang" is one of the best university theatre productions in recent memory. First, let’s set the records straight: “Plueang” (literally, "stripping off") is not yet another student theatre production, or one of those extra-curricular activities put on by students who do not study theatre but stage their productions for their friends’ and family’s entertainment. It’s produced, a....

"Plueang" is one of the best university theatre productions in recent memory. First, let’s set the records straight: “Plueang” (literally, "stripping off") is not yet another student theatre production, or one of those extra-curricular activities put on by students who do not study theatre but stage their productions for their friends’ and family’s entertainment. It’s produced, a....

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Wednesday , August 20 , 2008

getting IN TUNE

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 349 , 01:25:16 | Category : Dance 2008 Theatre 2008

Drama, song, film and more are channelled together for a powerful picture of our tech-savvy times. When globe-trotting dancers and choreographers Jitti Chompee and Sarawanee Tanatanit, award-winning NYU-educated film director Tanon Sattarujawong and renowned glass-harpist Weeraphong Thaweesak collaborated for the first time last August, Bangkok audiences got one of the year's most memorable performan....

Drama, song, film and more are channelled together for a powerful picture of our tech-savvy times. When globe-trotting dancers and choreographers Jitti Chompee and Sarawanee Tanatanit, award-winning NYU-educated film director Tanon Sattarujawong and renowned glass-harpist Weeraphong Thaweesak collaborated for the first time last August, Bangkok audiences got one of the year's most memorable performan....

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Saturday , August 16 , 2008

Tales of PERSERVERANCE

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 340 , 22:00:53 | Category : Theatre 2008

Natayasala (Joe Louis) Theater staged their grandest performance ever "Phramahajanaka" and made Thai audiences proud of our national heritage. Although the company moved from their Nonthaburi home to their 300-seat carpeted theatre at Suan Lum Night Bazaar since May 2002, many audiences have been taken them for granted. Despite the fact that they are the country’s only professional traditio....

Natayasala (Joe Louis) Theater staged their grandest performance ever "Phramahajanaka" and made Thai audiences proud of our national heritage. Although the company moved from their Nonthaburi home to their 300-seat carpeted theatre at Suan Lum Night Bazaar since May 2002, many audiences have been taken them for granted. Despite the fact that they are the country’s only professional traditio....

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CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP needs a RETHINK in Thailand's ARTS scene

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 326 , 21:17:01 | Category : Theatre 2008

If you are running a mega-corporation that rakes in hundreds of millions of baht in profit every fiscal year, would you consider sponsoring commercial performing arts events with city-wide banners, billboards and posters, and nationwide print and TV ads so that your potential customers would see your logos? Or, would you rather sign more checks, in lesser amounts, for smaller not-for-profit, yet equa....

If you are running a mega-corporation that rakes in hundreds of millions of baht in profit every fiscal year, would you consider sponsoring commercial performing arts events with city-wide banners, billboards and posters, and nationwide print and TV ads so that your potential customers would see your logos? Or, would you rather sign more checks, in lesser amounts, for smaller not-for-profit, yet equa....

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Sunday , August 10 , 2008

BALLET and BUTOH in BANGKOK

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 347 , 20:11:46 | Category : Dance 2008 Theatre 2008

The idea of having ballet dancers from the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet dancing on Thai stage sounds rather like a dream as it is unlikely that the world’s oldest national company would mark their tour to a country where non-popular performing arts, especially classical and “elitist” ones, are not widely appreciated. But thanks to Bangkok City Ballet (BCB) under the direction of Japan-born Thailand....

The idea of having ballet dancers from the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet dancing on Thai stage sounds rather like a dream as it is unlikely that the world’s oldest national company would mark their tour to a country where non-popular performing arts, especially classical and “elitist” ones, are not widely appreciated. But thanks to Bangkok City Ballet (BCB) under the direction of Japan-born Thailand....

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Saturday , August 9 , 2008

WANTED: little heroes

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 362 , 16:58:43 | Category : Theatre 2008

Kids, meet the Oversleeping Beauty and the Toad Prince - they need your help to save the world!Assoc Prof Pornrat "Kru Oui" Damrhung is a pioneer of children's theatre in Thailand. Although in recent years, most of her works have been attempts at making traditional theatre relevant to today's audience, children's theatre remains a love of her life. The veteran director has published several....

Kids, meet the Oversleeping Beauty and the Toad Prince - they need your help to save the world!Assoc Prof Pornrat "Kru Oui" Damrhung is a pioneer of children's theatre in Thailand. Although in recent years, most of her works have been attempts at making traditional theatre relevant to today's audience, children's theatre remains a love of her life. The veteran director has published several....

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Friday , August 8 , 2008

REVIEW: AF the Musical JO-JO SAN

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 2556 , 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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Sunday , August 3 , 2008

LESS ABSURD than the original

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 387 , 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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Thursday , July 31 , 2008

NOT just another SAVE THE EARTH propaganda

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 384 , 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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Saturday , July 26 , 2008

exclusive interview with WE WILL ROCK YOU lead actress ANNIE CRUMMER

Posted by dance_and_theatre , Reader : 375 , 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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