An empress revisited

“Cixi Taihou The Musical"  returns in a new version next week at a charity gala dinner to celebrate the 81st anniversary of the Old England Students Association (OESA) under Royal Patronage.

Taking place at the Dusit Thani Bangkok, the performance will feature 18 songs from the production’s more than 40 numbers, performed in full costume by the main cast. Her Royal Highness Princess Somsavali, who portrays Cixi’s mother, will make a special guest appearance. 

And this time, says producer and songwriter Suruj Tipakoraseni, the princess won’t sing the numbers she performed in the musical but a special song she has personally selected.

Association president Thaweewet Srinarong, who plays the violin in the sibling classical-crossover music trio Vietrio, tells XP that the event is the first OESA gala to feature a musical concert.

His younger sister Kanyapas “Parn Vietrio” Srinarong stars as Cixi. The singers will be accompanied by 50 young musicians of the Thai Youth Orchestra under the Patronage of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, conducted by Den Yooprasert.

Suruj, who recalls seeing a musical celebrating the silver anniversary of “Les Miserables”, says choosing the music and rewriting the script has been an interesting experience. Not only will he reprise his role as Cixi’s head eunuch Li Lianying, he will also act as the narrator and introduce each song.

Born in 1835, Cixi first entered the court as the concubine of Emperor Xianfeng. She bore Xianfeng a son and was installed as an empress dowager after the early death of the emperor. Although Cixi did not directly ascend to the throne, she maintained a tight grip on the Qing Dynasty through various power coups and assassination plots.

The fascinating life and times of Cixi is not lost to people in this part of the world thanks to popular period dramas and the 1957 novel "Susi Thai Hou" (a transliteration of Cixi's name derived from the Hokkien dialect) by Thai statesman MR Kukrit Pramoj.

In a perfect amalgamation of Sino-Thai culture, the Musical Society of Bangkok's “Cixi Taihou: The Musical” was performed with an all-Thai cast last year. The success of the 10 full-house shows prompted director Kriengsak “Victor” Silakong to restage the show in May.

 

OLD ENGLAND