Not trophy yet for Bie, but bright lights lie just ahead

He was, nominated as best actor on the basis of his film debut in “Kid Thueng Withaya” (“The Teacher’s Diary”). The award went instead to even younger upstart Jirayu La-ongmanee, and Bie admitted afterward he was a little disappointed, but he’s got a lot to look forward to nevertheless.
As Soopsip reported earlier, “Waterfall: The Musical” – director Takonkiet Viravan’s English-language adaptation of “Khang Lang Phaab” (“Behind the Painting”) – is aiming for a run on Broadway. The long road to the Great White Way begins at the famed Pasadena Playhouse in that California city, where the show opens on May 29. From there it will move to another celebrated theatre in Seattle by the end of the year in an attempt to gather the thrust needed to propel it all the way to Broadway on the other coast of America.
Bie hasn’t been waiting for next month’s flight overseas to get started on rehearsals. He said he’s working hard on his part every day. He’s got the script and the music and has been duly annoying his neighbours with his practising. “It’s the most difficult project I’ve ever done in my life – English is the biggest problem,” he admits.
Of course it’s not just a matter of learning enough English to master the lines and lyrics onstage. He has to be able to talk to the American stage crew when he gets there – and to Takonkiet, who’s keeping all communications in English. Bie got a taste of that on an earlier trip to the States and found it tricky following the director’s instructions. He spent the whole time with the script in one hand and a translation dictionary in the other.


Tor’s sorry little saga
Also on the red carpet at the Subhanahongsa Awards was hot young actor Thanapob “Tor” Leeratanakhajorn, who shot to fame with the GTH TV series “Hormones” and also had a role in the movie “Fak Wai Nai Kai Ther” (“The Swimmers”). That’s plenty to talk to the press about, but the reporters only wanted to know whether he’d made amends yet with veteran actress Sinjai Plengpanich.
Sinjai was the producer on the TV series “Chat Phayak” and recruited Tor for the cast, but he never got past the costume fitting. They wanted to give him a new hairstyle and he said no way. When news leaked about the ensuing conflict, both Tor and Sinjai insisted there was no problem. But soon after that, Tor withdrew from the project, saying it didn’t fit into his work schedule.
The other thing that doesn’t fit into his schedule is calling Sinjai to apologise, he admitted on awards night. Tor says he apologises to her indirectly every time he’s interviewed, but he hasn’t yet found the time for a personal phone call. He has every intention of doing so, he says, since he respects her as a senior.
This unnecessary bit of nonsense could have been resolved right then and there, though, if Tor had just looked over his shoulder. Sinjai was not only also trooping down the red carpet, she was seated near him in the theatre. He didn’t even have to get up. He could have just given her a wai and curled his thumbs and fingers into one of those heart signs.