The laugh that lasts

The musicals Society of Bangkok, the creative team who brought us “Cixi Taihou: The Musical” in 2014 and its restage last year, was back at the M Theatre last month with the strong support of The Nation Broadcasting Corporation for an adaptation of another, if less familiar, Chinese classic “Butterfly Lovers”.
The female cast members overshadowed their male counterparts. With more stage time and plenty more jokes, Her Royal Highness Princess Somsavali’s portrayal of the Queen of Heaven was not merely a cameo performance and it was an honour for all members of both cast and audience to have witnessed this.

The two star-crossed lovers first met in heaven. Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

Kanyapas “Parn Vie Trio” Srinarong was so effortless in her singing and characterisation, including the scenes when she needed to cross-dress, of Zhu Yingtai, one half of the doomed lovers, that the other half Liang Shanbo, performed by singer Nat Thewphaingam, occasionally looked like a minor character, notwithstanding his charming stage presence.
As Yingtai’s mother, newscaster Thatsaniya Ratwong delivered such a knockout performance that her husband’s character, performed by Kriengsak “Victor” Silakong, who also directed this musical, was frequently knocked out.

 HRH Princess Soamsawali delivered a commanding performance. Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

In fact, there were many thespians who excelled, stealing the limelight with their acting prowess rather than their singing skills, in their minor roles. Thanks to playwright Suruj Tipakoraseni who allowed this Thai-style comedy (which included his character of a deity who seemed to oversee all stage actions just like a producer does), the audience often forgot the main plot. That, incidentally, is the everlasting romance of Yingtai and Shanbo which, in this Thai stage version, continued from their times in heaven and on earth, as in the tagline “The love that lasts”. 
And despite the obvious entertainment they provided, the performance time could have been shorter had there been fewer supporting roles and had some of them not included a musical number.
While the book of this musical had its flaws, Suruj’s lyrics and music, like those of his “Cixi Taihou” were keenly composed and truly mesmerising. His word choices were also immaculate. Many lines were subtly filled with Chinese philosophy and fitted the notes so neatly that we could clearly understood them. Considerable credit was also due to music director Den Yooprasert.

Zhu Yingtai lamented Liang Shanbo's death, before their tragic ending. Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

Nuttakom Chamyen’s set design transported the Thai performers to ancient China although it wasn’t quite clear where and when. Supatra Kruekromgsuk’s work here proved again why she’s the most sought-after stage lighting designer. The latter’s work, though, was marred in one scene by the motion graphics of two butterflies, which killed the imagination. Perhaps whoever decided to put these in forgot that we go to theatre to exercise our imagination. The costume designer, interestingly, was not listed in the programme and the characters, rich and poor, were dressed in such finery that at times the show looked more like a charity concert than professional musical theatre. 
Even in this record year of restages and revivals despite the current cancellations and postponements, it is always a pleasure to watch a new stage work based on a familiar story. But it’s hard to see how contemporary Thai theatre can progress, if commercial theatre, which reaches bigger audiences than independent productions, does not start presenting original stories and challenging the theatre audience who yearn for what they cannot get from screen works. 
Originally scheduled to run for two weekends last month, circumstances forced “Butterfly Lovers” to bring the curtain down after the first weekend. No new dates have been announced.