Hit-Parade Nostalgia

The 70-year-old Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre has presented a concert series called “Ko Lang Wang” 17 times from 1995 to 2011 – they’re big hits. For the past two weekends, they, with the help of Masterpiece Organiser, added a simple dramatic plot and the result was “Ko Lang Wang the Musical”, with the subtitle “Rak Ni Khue Niran” (“this love is forever”).

It’s the perfectly located venue as “Ko Lang Wang” refers to those teenagers who five decades ago dressed up in chic Western costumes and hung out around Wang Burapha, the predecessor of Siam Square, with four stand-alone cinemas. And so in simpler words “Ko Lang Wang” is like 1960s Thai counterpart of mallrats. 

In this jukebox musical, 66-year-old Rose (Maneenuch Smerasut) was celebrating her birthday with her daughter-in-law Anne (Napada Sukkrit) and granddaughter Jane (Porntip “Ploy Mic Idol” Pantawong) as well as her two best friends Suzie and Susan. Rose recounted her “Ko Lang Wang” years to Anne and Jane – focusing mainly on how she was wooed by three men Jim (Methus “Jack AF4” Treerattanawareesin), John (Rachapon “Music AF4” Yaemsaeng) and James (Weeradon “Mac AF6” Wangcharoenporn) at the same time. Please don’t ask me why everyone in this musical has a Western nickname.

Accordingly, the songbook includes chart toppers from the period like “Rock Around the Clock”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “Unforgettable”, “Stupid Cupid”, “Que Sera Sera”, “Love is a Many Splendoured Thing” and “It’s Now or Never”. And when some of them were interpreted by professional veteran crooners like Maneenuch, Napada and even Wasu Sangsingkaew, who portrayed George, James’ uncle, the audience was in a state of music heaven, and many of us fondly reminisced about our yesteryears. 

The same effect, evident in “The End of the World” and “Love You till I Die”, was also achieved by young singers Porntip and Nattapat “Puifai AF4” Wipatcorntragoon. The latter was fittingly cast as the young Rose and could marvellously reach the high standard set by Maneenuch. Credit was also due to the Chalermrat Band under the baton of maestro Virat Yuthaworn. 

By contrast, when other songs, like “Pretty Woman” and “I Love You for Sentimental Reasons”, were feebly carried out by the young male singers who also became famous through reality TV singing contest and our SMS votes, I wished I could walk out to the nearby the Old Siam Plaza and buy CDs of the original recordings of those songs. I tried to think that they’re giving credible performances as “Ko Lang Wang”, who knew their limitations and would rather act cool and speak smart than sing well to win over women.

Another problem is there were so many songs that took us on this nostalgic trips to the 1960s that the overall performance didn’t feel like a musical play but a concert with too simple a story, notwithstanding the fact that they fit the period of the story. Thai-language dialogue seemed like mere transition linking songs together and as if we were awaiting certain keywords in sentences like “Has anyone ever told you that you have such dreamy eyes?”, simply to lead us into another English-language song. 

With the unprecedented number – despite mixed response from audiences and critics – of western-style grand-scale musicals having been produced on Thai stage this year, we can now officially proclaim Bangkok as the Southeast Asian capital of musicals. That’s even before it becomes the world’s book capital next year.

 

MORE TO COME

- Back by popular demand and critical acclaim, “Dreamgirls” is at M Theatre from Friday to Sunday. Tickets are Bt 1,010 to 2,510 at www.BananaBooking.|com.

- “Miss Saigon” closes on Sunday at Muangthai Rachadalai Theatre. Visit www.MissSaigonThailand.com. n Also at Mungthai Rachadali, film studio GTH’s first stage musical “Lamsing Singer” will premiere on December 20.

- “Rak Chab Chai the Romantic musical”, edited for the screen, starts on November 22 at Major Cineplex.