We’ll drink to that

 Heineken, the global beer brand that bills itself as being born in Amsterdam and raised by the world, takes Thais back through the ages this weekend through an immersive theatrical experience that traces its history. Dubbed “Star Venture” and featuring cutting-edge visuals and spectacular multimedia innovations, it’s being staged at the General Post Office in Bang Rak to mark the brand’s 145th anniversary.
“Heineken remains committed to offering consumers unrivalled experiences through the concept of ‘Open Your World’ in all its ongoing activities. This year, Heineken is proud to launch this product-focused campaign through the ‘Star Venture’ event, an immersive theatrical experience that presents Heineken’s brand history and heritage from four important years of the company’s history. This is also reflected in vintage Heineken labels on our bottles and cans for fans to collect. Despite having undergone many redesigns, our identity and premium quality have remained consistent. We are excited about this upcoming performance,” says Pattapanee Ekahitanond, marketing manager for Heineken and Strongbow at TAP Group in Thailand.

The General Post Office, also known as the Grand Postal Building and built in 1940, will be transformed into the Heineken brewery in Amsterdam for the occasion and showcase four important years in Heineken’s history. The production starts in 1873 with “Amsterdam Start-up” featuring the origins of Heineken. In this zone, you will meet Mr Heineken who discovers the “magical” ingredient called Heineken A-yeast, a strain that is still used today. 
“Grand Prix Paris” marks 1889 and showcases Heineken’s popularity after winning the top award at the World Fair in Paris. In this zone, visitors will be surrounded by such famous inventors as Thomas Edison and Gustave Eiffel, and celebrate this successful moment for Heineken with performance of the can-can. “Crossing Borders” marks 1950 and Heineken’s growth through its international distribution and shipments to other countries while “Icons in the Making” going back to 1953 recounts the return of the red star as Heineken’s signature logo. Here viewers will meet fascinating pin-up girls and get to see the unique advertising that attracted beer drinkers, in addition to meeting famous icons from this golden era such as Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley.
Arissara “Look Boone” Chounchaisit, one of Thailand’s leading stage directors and choreographers, is responsible for creating the show. Dr Nalin Petchin directs and actor Matthew Deane portrays Mr Heineken.
“I am so happy to be creating this show because what we are doing is something new here in Thailand. ‘Interactive theatre’ means the audience will not only sit and watch the show, but they become part of the show. The performers can interact and chat with the audience. This sort of show is very new, and more importantly it doesn’t occur in one room, it involves time travel in a series of rooms,” Arissara explains.

“It’s a challenge and we have to thank Heineken for taking the initiative with different ideas and giving the audience a chance to learn and experience something new. It was challenging to organise the sessions so as to allow the audience to enjoy the full experience in a limited time. What was also really amazing for our team was in learning the Heineken story, which was new to all of us. This allowed us to do a lot of research and we realised that it wasn’t so easy for Heineken to become the successful brand it is today.
“It’s such an honour to be a part of this show. I’d like to thank Heineken for entrusting me to play Mr Heineken. I’m a huge fan of the Heineken brand and raking on this important role allowed me to learn more about the brand and its rich history. I have a much better understanding of Heineken’s timeless taste and quality since 1873 and I hope everyone will enjoy this immersive theatrical performance, because we really put our hearts into this show and did our best to create an interactive experience for everyone to enjoy. This was a major priority for Heineken, and I believe the audience will not be disappointed,” says the actor.
To register, go to Facebook.com/Heineken and Instagram: @heineken_th.