ALL IN THE FAMILY

With the recent long-weekend holidays and the Songkran break coming up, many Bangkokians are taking advantages of the days away from the work to leave the city.

Maybe that’s why the big playhouses were dark last weekend and will be until the end of the month. That wasn’t the case for one small theatre and another of medium size, which both saw their spaces almost full, a sign perhaps that contemporary Thai theatre is alive and well, though not really lively.

At Democrazy Theatre Studio, director-actress Sawanee Utoomma and two composers collectively known as Cucumber the Killer – Gandhi Anantagant and Kamonpat Pimsarn – joined creative efforts for “Relation Lab No 1”, with the help of seven actors, dancers and singers, many of them multi-skilled. 

The first part, “Your Turn”, allowed the audience to suggest characters, setting and props for the performers to freely improvise. And as expected, the two seasoned thespians, Kriengkrai Fookasem and Farida Jiraphan, effortlessly stole the show. The second and final part “Our Turn” comprised theatre, songs and dance loosely linked under the theme khang kha (“unfinished”), offering each member of the ensemble a chance to shine. 

Sawanee said in her introduction that this part was developed during the rehearsal totally by the performers. She was there purely as an observer, not the director. That probably explained the obvious need for further work for the piece to become more than just another interesting stage experiment – fun but without much bite. Given the “Sound Performance” tag, one would wish for more active, or creative, roles of sound and music in the performance itself.

Meanwhile, over at Poonsuk Banomyong Auditorium, Babymime reaffirmed their status as the country’s best pantomime troupe in their “Babymime Show Vol 5: The Serious Comedy”. My jaw is still aching from the most hilarious stage show I’ve seen this year.

In five playlets, which combined made up about two hours, the three performers, who will celebrate their 10th anniversary in professional pantomime next year, once again managed to not only master western theatrical skills but also find contemporary Thai stories to efficiently communicate with their audiences – via the sanook culture. 

Much credit also goes to director Teerawat Mulvilai, whose work for B-Floor Theatre was never known for comedy. Perhaps that’s why this laugh fest touched many hearts while provoking much thought. B-Floor’s Ornanong Thaisriwong, as the guest performer, also mesmerised in her various characters introducing each playlet.

“Star Wars” was the true highlight, not least because of the creativity and playfulness it requires to make a table and three chairs look really like a starfighter. And yet, they were aiming at far more than staging the George Lucas’ sci-fi classic. While each member of the trio was able to portray many different characters, the audience seemed to love watching the ones they mastered perfectly, thanks in part to their physical features – Ratchai “Nging” Rujiwipatana as a woman, Nuttapol “Ta” Kummetha as a kid, and Thongglur “Glur” Thongthae as a tough guy.

As a child imagining himself and his parents as the main characters in “Star Wars”, with the help of household utensils and appliances, the underlying message was simple yet significant. It suggested that a child occasionally needs his parents to be more than just mum and dad but also his playmates – an active presence, not just time and money. For me, it brought back unforgettable memories of my badminton, chess, table tennis and football matches with my dad, the reason why I never needed a video game to keep me entertained.

It’s also noteworthy that although performing at various gigs and private events throughout the year, Babymime always present their new works every year in a full-length show, usually in March or April.

And that’s why we show up to be entertained and be inspired year after year. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. 

  NEXT UP