Many lives, one play

If theatre-goers feel as if they’ve been going to Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts almost every month in 2016, it’s partly because Thailand’s first tertiary institution to offer a bachelor’s degree in modern theatre –Chulalongkorn University’s Department of Dramatic Arts – is celebrating its 45th anniversary. And as part of this celebration, the department is now staging the first theatre adaptation of former prime minister and national artist MR Kukrit Pramoj’s “Lai Chiwit” (literally “Many Lives”), a collection of short stories first published in Siam Rath newspaper 65 years ago.

Playwright Parida Manomaiphibul, whose “Chuichai Saneha” was awarded best original script by the IATC Thailand Centre a few years ago, says: “The project started two years ago when a playwright, a theatre director and a music composer were looking for a piece of Thai contemporary literature for a stage adaptation and ‘Lai Chiwit’ came up in conversation.

“Not only has it been popular since it was first published but it has also long been included in the Thai literature reading list for high school students. A valuable Thai literary work with a universal and timeless subject matter, ‘Lai Chiwit’ has been translated into English, French and Japanese, among others. And as it has 11 storylines concerning 11 characters whose lives only cross in the tragic accident at the end, it’s a major challenge for stage adaptation.” 

Inspired by a tragic road accident he came across while on a trip upcountry with friends, MR Kukrit started with a short story about Loi, a thug who had robbed and killed many. He asked his friends to contribute stories about other people whose lives had followed different paths but ended at the same point. No one did though, and MR Kukrit ended up penning another 10 stories about 10 characters from many walks of life, ranging from, for example, Buddhist monk Sem, aristocrat Lek and army officer Chan to streetwalker Phanni and Likay performer Phon.

Holding true to the original theme from which many readers and scholars have drawn life lessons, this first stage version of “Lai Chiwit” aims to remind us that “Death, which we all fear, can be a punishment for a misdeed or a reward for a good deed. It can also solve problems or heal wounds.” -Parida continues, “I’m also keeping the multi-storyline structure. I’ve been revising, restructuring and rewriting it for more than a year, adding some and cutting other details to find the best way to tell these stories in one play. I always tell the students in my playwriting classes that ‘to write a play is actually to rewrite it’, and so here I am, trying to find the best possible way to retell these stories on the stage. The more rewrites I did, the more details I discovered in the original stories and I’ve had to find a balance between adding these new details and keeping the play precise.”

Parida’s partner-in-crime Bhanbhassa Dhubthien whose “Chuichai Saneha” won her the best direction award, is back in the director’s chair after their recent collaboration in “Thiraracha: The Musical” earlier this year. Set and costume designer Ritirong Jiwakanon, whose previous work “Mom” was a stage adaptation of another MR Kukrit story, puts this play in the arena stage configuration allowing quick entrances and exits and smoother flow of the stories, Ritirong has also designed more than 200 costumes for the more than 100 characters. And onto this bare stage, veteran lighting designer Supatra Kruekrongsuk paints various hues and tones. 

The acting ensemble, many of whom play multiple roles, is made up of both professional and student actors. They are joined by National Artist Suprawat Padmasuta, who was cast in the “Lai Chiwit” TV series more than two decades ago, and Kwankaew Kongnisai, whose performance in the recent “Dans le noir” was highly acclaimed. 

 

- Show times are weekdays at 7.30pm; Saturday at 2pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 2pm. 

- It’s in Thai with no English surtitles. 

- Tickets are Bt 600 (Bt 300 for students), available at www.BangkokStudio41.com. Call (081) 559 7252 or visit Facebook.com/DramaArtsChula.