Broadway comes to Bangkok

IF YOU’RE looking for a different kind of night out this weekend and dramatic singing is your flute of Champagne, head to St Regis Bangkok tonight for a 90-minute vocal performance by the Grand Opera Thailand, with free-flowing bubbly and cocktails.
Every Friday at 8.30, members of the Grand Opera will be hitting the high notes in “The Magic of the Musicals with the New Broadway Company”, a two-part show that starts with pop and then moves on to a full-scale costumed mini-musical.
All your favourite catchy tunes will be offered as the musical changes themes from week to week, Expect to hear the best of “Cats”, “South Pacific”, “Porgy and Bess”, “Pirates of Penzance”, “Chicago” and many more, as well as more “serious” numbers from the world’s most notable musicals.
Don’t expect a full orchestra, though: One man and his piano provide the accompaniment.
The singers are exceedingly talented. Under the supervision of artistic director Stefan Sanchez, the Grand Opera Thailand is the country’s newest performing-arts group and puts on shows across Southeast Asia. Its aim is to make opera more “approachable” for the general public and raise the level of appreciation in Thailand. The troupe has done more than 40 concerts since its inception last year, venturing beyond the region to Bahrain, Pakistan, South Korea, Myanmar and other countries, playing five-star hotels and events organised by embassies.
You get the drama, the costumes and the great musical numbers – all great – but somehow you cannot escape the “hotel bar” vibe. Don’t get us wrong – the St Regis’ Drawing Room is stylish, but it’s still, well, a hotel bar. If you close your eyes and only listen to the beautiful songs, it’s very pleasant and fulfilling. But with eyes open, it all feels somehow like anticlimactic with a simple wall as a backdrop, in sharp contrast to the wonderfully dressed singers.
We expect extravagance and grandiosity in a stage musical, so it seems awkward to have Christine from “The Phantom of the Opera” in her puffed up, frilly Victorian dress delivering a solo on a plain, bare stage.
This great concept might look a little less like a dress rehearsal if the hotel invested in props – or else went fully minimalist with modern outfits and contemporary flair.
The troupe should also work on its song selection and alternate upbeat tunes with the laid-back ones to maintain the party spirit (and keep us awake!).
Nonetheless, this is the sort of welcome nightlife experience that Bangkok lacks. We have foreign DJs, live bands and theme parties every single weekend, so a musical night like this a refreshing break. Also, the show is rather interactive, with the singers prancing around the bar and mingling with the crowd, making it a very intimate and engaging experience.
Bring your friends, enjoy some drinks and listen to good music – different music from what you normally get on a Friday night.

Enjoy “The Magic of the Musicals” any Friday at 8.30pm in the Drawing Room of the St Regis Bangkok, which is adjacent to the Rajdamri BTS station.

Admission is Bt1,650, which includes tapas etagere and unlimited drinks.

Reservations are essential at (02) 207 7777 or [email protected].

Here’s the schedule:
Tonight – The music of “Les Miserables”
September 13 – “The Mikado”
September 20 – “Les Miserables”
September 27 – “Fiddler on the Roof”
October 4 – “Der Fliedermaus”
October 11 – “The Mikado”
October 18 – “My Fair Lady”
October 25 – “The Phantom of the Opera”