Building the road

 Saturday evening’s performance, the second regular show for the public after the press preview on Thursday and the royal gala opening on Friday, was almost sold-out, with audience members ranging from young children to senior citizens, many of them accompanied by their grandchildren. Some had obviously come from the mall while others had dressed formally for the occasion but all, at the end of the three-hour-plus performance, rewarded the performers – so numerous that many took the curtain call in the raised orchestra pit – with thunderous applause.

As in previous years, the large music ensemble was divided on the two side stages. Prior to the performance, the musicians and singers set the tone with a newly composed song that blessed the Queen on the auspicious occasion of her 80th birthday anniversary and recognised her initiative in staging this annual event that aims to restore glory and popularity to khon.

This was followed by the royal anthem and a pre-recorded speech during which the purpose of this royal command khon performance was again emphasised. The ceremonial message and tone continued in the following dance of blessing, beautifully complimented by a gorgeous backdrop and the official emblem of the Queen’s 80th birthday.

And then finally, “Khon: Chong Thanon Episode” began, opening with a scene in Phra Ram’s pavilion as his army made its way to Thotsakan’s Longka City. Nilaphat and Hanuman were assigned to lead their respective monkey armies to construct the roadway across the ocean to reach Longka but got into a personal fight, adding more conflict to the dramatic script and making it more fun. When Sukhrip took both of them to have an audience with Phra Ram, who used his wisdom to resolve this dispute, the audience was able to draw a comparison with contemporary Thai politics, though of course, in this case, corruption was not rearing its ugly head. 

Hanuman then faced another obstacle: Suphannamatcha was commanded by her father Thotsakan to lead her fish in taking away the rocks that were paving the roadway to Longka. As one of the most famous womanisers in Thai literature, Hanuman took care of this snag almost effortlessly, and Phra Ram’s army marched across the ocean. The two-hour first act ended here and in the shorter second act, we watched Thotasakan preparing his demon army and eventually the battle with Phra Ram’s, and the evening ended with both retreating back to their respective camps.

All the performers in the lead roles demonstrated clearly why khon is the most highly revered genre of classical Thai theatre. The young performers in Phra Ram’s monkey army showed much energy and enthusiasm in their performance while some of those in the opposing army seemed to lack the strength and unity required for demon roles. 

While a gigantic flying elephant, Benyakai’s golden palanquin and an enlarged Hanuman covering Phra Ram’s pavilion with his mouth were among the visual highlights in the previous three episodes, I found the visuals of “Chong Thanon” less thrilling. The school of fish appearing from the raising orchestra pit amidst artificial smoke was clever as was Hanuman diving into the ocean, but the technique of putting performers on slings was predictable and failed to impress. That said, it should not be forgotten that khon is not about the spectacle, but the performance of each individual dancer, musician, singer and reciter and how all these elements come together.

When I booked my khon tickets online, I almost purchased the “Khon Chalermkrung” tickets, which are available at the same ticket outlet. For the other 11 months of the year, I recommend my foreign friends to watch “Khon Chalermkrung” especially when they have little more than an hour to spare. For those who have more time, I would love to suggest they go to the National Theatre. Sadly though, the theatre does not have a website and its performances do not come with English surtitles.

With the students and faculty of the Bunditpatanasilpa Institute and the College of Dramatic Arts, both under the Ministry of Fine Arts, forming the core members of the cast and crew of “Khon: Chong Thanon Episode”, one wonders how this annual special event can contribute to the more regular performances at the National Theatre, which is under the same ministry, other than by training some future performers and attracting new audiences. 

Besides, with the former’s sets, props, costumes and make-up techniques being more intricately crafted than the latter’s, they would likely one day end up in an exhibition or a museum, and that’s obviously not a way to guarantee that khon is a living art. 

Khon’s Japanese counterpart, Noh, is staged on a much more consistent basis – albeit on a smaller scale and for more regular followers, by both the National Theatre and private companies. Preceding most performances, lectures on how to better appreciate them are offered on the stage. While the performances are proceeding, the house lights are dim but not dark allowing the audiences to study the scripts in their hands. At some venues, foreign audiences can also rent headphones through which they hear not only translation of script but also explanation on the staging of the classical theatre. Audiences thus know exactly how to appreciate it and are willing to return to another performance – next week or fortnight, not next year.

We have been “Chong Thanon” for five years. Is it not time to inspect the sturdiness of the roadway?

 

SELLING FAST