Khon wins over the Aussies

The famous acoustics of the Sydney Opera House did full justice to the mesmerising sound of a Thai phipat orchestra last Monday night as a 56-strong troupe of visiting khon performers dazzled an appreciative near-capacity audience in the great hall.
It was the much-anticipated debut in Australia for Thailand’s classical masked dance, and local teacher Keith Vickers, who’s married to a Thai, was thrilled. 
“I love khon,” he said, “and I love the way you keep your traditional culture alive.” It was Vickers’ first time seeing a “grand khon performance” and this full-scale production was intended to impress.
Harald Arands, another Sydney resident, called the show “very exciting”. 
“I’ve been to Bangkok and I love Thai culture, but I’d never seen khon before. Bringing a performance to Sydney was extraordinary. It was an amazing show and the costumes and dancing were fantastic.”
Vickers and Arands were among 1,900 guests invited to see the one-night-only performance and an accompanying exhibition about khon and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, who has done so much to keep the art form alive.
In the audience were Thai expatriates, businessmen and diplomats. 
The show was part of a weeklong cultural venture organised by the Culture and Foreign Affairs ministries to mark Her Majesty’s 84th birthday and celebrate 65 years of diplomatic amity between Thailand and Australia.
The week also furthered the Culture Ministry’s mission to promote khon internationally. Culture is being wielded as “soft power” to promote the country overseas. 
“By presenting our rich culture, we hope to strengthen relations with Australia in the fields of politics, economics and investment,” said Deputy Prime Minister Tanasak Patimaprakorn, who was welcomed by Robert Kok on behalf of Sydney Mayor Clover Moore.
The khon show was adjusted for a foreign audience. After a preliminary dance in honour of Her Majesty, an onstage, English-speaking narrator explained the rather complex plot of the epic Ramayana, from which the drama derives, with dancers illustrating the different characters and components. 
Then the two-act, five-episode show began with “The Abduction of Sita”.
The first half, ending with “Encounter with Sadayu”, ran 45 minutes and evidently proved to be less than gripping for some audience members, who were seen dozing.
After an intermission, though, the final act had a far more exciting opening with “Gathering the Troops” and hit its crescendo with “At the Battlefield”, the grandest scene of all, with Lakshman, Thotsakan and Rama waging stylised combat.
No one in the crowd was feeling sleepy anymore as the dancers performed breathtaking acrobatics, skilfully balancing on thighs and shoulders. They earned loud applause for their efforts. 
The show closed on a high note with “Joyous Celebration”, and the phipat treated the audience to a rendition of “Waltzing Matilda”, again to appreciative applause.
Dramatic lighting mounted by Ovation Studio added to the viewers’ interest, though some scenes were too brightly lit, distracting from the stage action. Ovation is the same production house that handles the annual Royal Khon Performance in Bangkok and did the lighting for the 2015 khon presentation in London. 
The use of a narrator to explain the scenes beforehand – as opposed to running surtitles above the stage as is common in Western theatre – was in keeping with khon tradition. But it didn’t quite work, since the narration tended to spoil what should have been surprises to come. 
If, while watching the show, the meticulous detailing in the costumes was difficult to see, the exhibition afforded close-up views. The masks could be seen in all their ornate painted glory and the jewellery in all its extravagance. 
Visitors also got to learn more about Queen Sirikit and her role in keeping khon in the public eye. It was she who once pointed out that even Thais have few chances to see a performance, since the preparations are so difficult and costly.
In 2003 she arranged a meeting of khon scholars and experts in other arts and crafts under the auspices of her Support Foundation. She asked them to find a way to restore the nearly forgotten tradition of the “royal khon performance”. 
The first production came in 2007 with a performance of the episode titled “Prommas” presented for the 80th birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and her 75th birthday. It was such a success that she asked for performances to be staged annually.
Vickers, the Sydney teacher, praised Thailand for being so dedicated to keeping traditional culture alive for future generations. 
“I’ve been to Thailand a few times and it’s wonderful – it’s so unusual,” he said. “Thailand is famous for its warm, friendly people and hospitality. But visitors also love to see the traditional culture, and you keep those traditions going. 
“One of the problems in Australia and England is that young children aren’t encouraged that much to look at the old traditions. Thailand, to me, is leading the way. It’s very impressive.”
The show at Sydney’s Opera House follows a similarly well-received khon performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall two years ago. Thailand has been promoting the dance form internationally for a decade, in fact. 
In 2006 there was a presentation at the Versailles Palace outside Paris as part of a “Tout a Fait Thai” festival of art, film and food. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn also performed traditional Thai music at the Guimet Museum in the French capital. 
The Royal Albert Hall show came 130 years after a Siamese orchestra played for the English, during King Rama V’s visit with Queen Victoria. The 2015 khon performance was part of the government-sponsored “Totally Thai” festival marking Princess Sirindhorn’s 60th birthday and 160 years of friendship with Britain.
After Sydney, the troupe travelled to the Powerhouse Arts Centre in Casula, New South Wales, to offer a sampling and demonstrate the wai khru – the ritual dance in tribute to teachers.
Nathapol Khantahiran, consul-general at the Thai Embassy in Sydney, said bringing the khon troupe to Australia as cultural ambassadors was mainly aimed at “strengthening our 65-year relationship, especially between people and people”. 
Their Majesties the Queen and late King first visited Australia in August 1962. The Crown Prince, now His Majesty King Vajiralongkorn, underwent five weeks of military training in Sydney in August 1970 and two years later enrolled at Royal Military College Duntroon in Canberra. 
Training with the Australian army, combined with bachelor’s studies under the auspices of the University of New South Wales, led to his graduation in 1976 as a lieutenant with a liberal-arts degree.