A boy and his flying horse

Sudsakorn – an iconic character in the “Phra Aphai Mani” saga by Thailand’s best-known royal poet Phra Sunthorn Vohara – is returning in a new incarnation, this time as a stage play voiced by a cast of young stars and with an environmental message the producers hope will be absorbed by the young generation.
“My main aim is to put on world-class production for kids with a strong story that will stimulate their imaginative powers,” says Kriangkan “Mok” Kanjanapokin, co-chief executive officer of Index Creative Village.
“Of course, we have many Thai cartoon characters but Sudsakorn is widely used in lessons at both the elementary and high school levels. So, I expect this character to reach children and adults. Moreover, this Thai literary work is a kind of fantasy and its characters have supernatural powers,” he says.

    Kriangkan notes that local stage productions directed at kids and families tend to be small and relatively modest.
“But our play is world class and includes such techniques as video mapping and lasers as well as kinetics installations, which are never used here. We will use kinetic technology for several characters such as the jellyfish and for synchonisation.
    “I have seen more than a hundred musicals in New York and London. In ‘The Lion King’ and ‘War Horse’, they use hollowed out or mascot-like puppets but on a much bigger scale than we have.”
    The screen-to-stage adaptation is named “Sudsakorn The New Adventure" and is being performed at Muang Thai GMM Live House for a three-day run starting from Friday.
“Most international musicals focus on the characters and melodious songs. For ours, I would like the audience of parents and children to take something good back home. We received several comments from foreigners who watched our last musical ‘Roy Duriyang’ that they had never thought that traditional Thai music could be so enjoyably portrayed, especially during a music competition. I think it is part of Index’s social responsibility to convey important messages,” says Kriangkan.

Written by Phra Sunthorn Vohara, or Sunthorn Phu as he was better known, during the reign of King Rama II, the story has been adapted as a live action fantasy film in 2006, as well as an animated TV series and an animated film.
It’s centred on Sudsakorn, the son of Phra Aphai Mani and a mermaid, who is born on Ko Kaeo Pisadan (Magical Island) without ever having seen his father. His adventure begins after he grows up and begins to search after him.
He begs a hermit to teach him martial arts in order to protect himself from the dangers that might happen along the way, and the hermit gives him a special gift, a flying horse-like creature called Ma Nil Mang Korn to shorten his journey.
On the way, Sudsakorn encounters a nudist who steals Ma Nil Mang Korn and attempts to kill him by pushing him over a cliff. Sudsakorn survives the fall and sets out to retrieve his flying horse. He hunts down the nudist and engages him successfully in combat. Sudsakorn is so successful that it draws the attention of the king, who decides to adopt him. As time passes, Sudsakorn relentlessly continues his quest to find his real father.

    The play is divided into two acts each with a strong environmental message. The first, “Thong Pa Pisaj” (“Explore the Demon Forest”),  is set in a forest that is being destroyed, thus endangering the wild animals that make it their home. The second, “Pa Wal Puad Thong” (“Whale Has Stomachache”), is about littering the oceans and the effects this has on marine creatures.
    “I want everyone to take home these messages,” says Kriangkan.
“The main characters of this play are the mascots, with human actors providing the borders of storyline. Sudsakorn is a mascot that can blink thanks to wireless control technology.
“We took Sudsakorn on a campus road show and the students were fascinated by what was inside. We spent a long time on the design of Manut Khaya (Garbage Monster). Initially I was thinking along the lines of Jabb the Hutt in ‘Star Wars’. I thought the monster must be like an alien. I contacted a company in the UK to create the characters but their price was ridiculously high costs. They wanted Bt1.3 million for Ma Nil Mang Korn and between Bt400,000 and Bt500,000 for Sudsakorn. In the end, I opted for a giant moving Transformer and turned it into garbage monster.”
Napassorn “New The Star” Phuthornjai takes on voicing duties for Sudsakorn while Pitchaya “Golf” Nitipaisalkul is Ma Nil Mang Korn. Chompoopantip “Eclair” Temtanamongkol, who sings the theme, is a storyteller. Miss Thailand 2016 contestant Nattawalun “June” Pongboon plays an angel, Pathranit "Maipair" Khamkampud is forest ranger Jane, and Pinthip “Khwan” Orachon portrays the good Goddess Apsara and the wicked witch Apsarapisa.
    “We needed two guys to voice the Sudsakorn and Ma Nil Mang Korn mascots and they also had to be able to sing. New and Golf were an obvious choice.” says Kriangkan.
“I love imitating humans and animals so I didn’t hesitate to take the job” says New. “And I also think it’s very important to communicate to kids that they need to keep our environment alive.”
    Golf too is delighted with his role. “I’m so glad that Phi Mok wants me to be a horse,” says the singer-actor, who voiced one of the canine stars in the movie, “Ma Mah” (“Mid Road Gang”).
“I did voiceover of ‘Toy Story’ for my younger brother, Mike. I’m now looking for a reference of horse voice on YouTube.”
    “And I go camping with Phi Jane who gives me the story of Sudsakorn. While I’m reading the book, Sudsakorn and Ma Nil Mang Korn step come out of the pages set off on their adventure,” says Nong Eclair.

BOOK NOW

- “Sudsakorn The New Adventure” is being staged at Muang Thai GMM Live House on the eighth floor of CentralWorld from Friday to March 26.
- Tickets cost from Bt500 to Bt2,200 at Thai Ticket Major counters. Call (02) 262 3456 or visit to www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.