On the heels of a stolen treasure

THIRTEEN YEARS after “Ong Bak” launched the Thai action movie into the international cosmos of high kicks and low punches, it’s returning in a new incarnation – as a stage show.
“Ong Bak Live Show”, which is running at new venue Ultra Arena at the Show DC Bangkok, combines stage play and stunt show and follows Boonting (played by Phanom “Tony Jaa” Yeerum in the movie) who goes to Bangkok in search of the head of a sacred Buddha image that’s been stolen by Western looters. 
The show is the brainchild of veteran event promoter and organiser Vinit Lertratanachai, whose credits include “Phra Mahachanok The Musical” and the animation “Khun Tongdaeng: The Inspirations” and is costing him a mammoth Bt500 million.
He says the seeds of the idea were planted back in 2004 during a visit to Portugal when he spotted the poster for the movie at a subway station. The idea continued to germinate but only broke ground when he was approached by The Show DC, the new entertainment complex next to RCA, with a view to putting on a show that would attract tourists. The complex was originally set up as a boxing arena but underwent a complete makeover to fit the “Ong Bak” show.
Today the theatre has a1,143-seat capacity, a giant stage and a 21-metre ceiling, far higher than the usual 12-16 metres. This allows for more spectacular scenes in the show, on which Vinit is collaborating with Scenario’s Takonkiet Viravan and the movie’s director Prachya Pinkaew.
The 75-minute show follows the movie’s storyline and the film’s memorable scenes like the fight in a giant tree that ends with the protagonists falling to the ground, have been redesigned for a stage setting. The kicks and punches, though, are real enough and the special effects certainly makes “Ong Bak” stand out from other tourist shows in town. 
The actors are drawn from both the dramatic arts and stunt industries, with Prachya calling on the stunt team of the late master Panna Ritthikrai to work with him.
Panna has long been credited with choreographing the fabulous fights in the movie and with training home-grown action superstar Tony Jaa. Since his death in 2014, his son Kitsana has continued working with the stunt team with the assistance of Panna’s long-time colleagues.
Kisana, who was only nine years old when he visited the "Ong Bak" film set, says that the show is something of a tribute to his father.
“I’m glad to be part of the project and wish my father could be here to see the young stunt team’s efforts. They have great talent and get their inspiration from watching his work,” says Kitsana, adding that between 20 and 30 stunt actors have joined the project. Banphot Kimuenwai, who worked with Panna for decades and helps Kitsana to oversee the stunt work, says that for him it’s a dream comes true.
“I remember saying to Panna while we were watching the Waterworld show at Universal Studios that it would be good to remake “Ong Bak” like that. It’s unbelievable that it has actually started,” he says. Banphot, who was part of the stunt team for the original movie, experienced the show at Phuket Fantasea and at a tourism show in Malaysia.
The team members say they pay respect to Panna before rehearsing or performing, and especially when they mimic his stunts like three guys kicking simultaneously.
Scenario producer Chayakorn Suthinsak, who is overseeing the production, admits he had doubts about the stunt team’s acting abilities and was disappointed when he first saw their work following a month of training,
“It wasn’t very good but they trained harder. The result is incredible,” says Chayakorn.
It wasn’t long before he was openly praising the talents of the stunt teams. “I’m so glad that a big budget show like this is giving them the chance to shine,” he says.
Even though it’s based on the movie, the live show is non-verbal, all the better to avoid language barriers with a foreign audience. Scenario has added its dramatic experience to the show, setting the pace and making it more rounded.
Light relief from the fighting scenes comes with a tuk tuk flying over the audience and laughs with the ensemble cast, especially the duo Mum-Muay (the cunning characters in the film played by Phetthai “Mum” Wongkhamlao and Pumwaree Yodkamol), who are street magicians. 
The tuk tuk flying scene, says Chayakorn, was inspired by Scenario’s musical “Mae Nak”, starred Nat Myria Benedetti. “We need the ‘wow’ moment for the show, and the high-ceiling of the stage made the flying tuk tuk a reality,” |he says.
With real fights taking place on stage, Chayakorn admits that the injuries and accidents have been frequent during rehearsal and a few members of the cast have suffered broken limbs. Vinit adds that safety is of prime concern and if there were any flaws in the mechanical system, the show would be cancelled.
With more than 250 actors taking to the stage at various times, the most difficult task falls to Boonting’s character, as he has to fight from the beginning to the end. To prevent accidents, three or four actors will play him during each show to avoid fatigue. 
Vinit acquired the story copyright from Somsak “Sia Jiang” Techaratanaprsert to run “Ong Bak Live” for five years and also has a 15-year lease on Ultra Arena.
After running tests with different audience groups, he has already been approached to take the show overseas. However, he says he needs more time: “at least a year to get the show settled before making any further decisions,” he says.
“It’ s a real action show so the actors’ physical health and safety has to be the main concern,” he says.    
Thai audiences can also enjoy the show and it is suitable for kids as well as adults.
  SHOWING NOW
- The show premieres today and will start showing from Saturday at the Ultra Arena at Show DC, next to RCA. 
- There are two shows daily from Tuesday to Sunday.
- Tickets cost Bt1,500, Bt2,000 and Bt2,500 at Thai Ticket Major counters and at www.ThaiTicketMajor.com. 
- For more information, visit www.UltraTiger.co.th/Ongbaklive or facebook.com/OngBaklive