FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

A little something on the side for "Voice" judges

A little something on the side for "Voice" judges

"THE VOICE THAILAND", the TV singing contest/reality show, is of course more than just a springboard to stardom for aspiring singers.

It’s a great moonlighting gig for the celebrity judges as well. Established warblers Jennifer Kim, Apiwat “Stamp” Eurthavornsuk (also a songwriter), Saharat “Kong” Sangkapricha (also a musician) and Apisit “Joey Boy” Opasiamlikit (also a record producer) have all become even more famous thanks to the show, and you know what that means: They get offered loads of TV commercials.
Jennifer is now also a TV host to boot. She’s taken over Yanee “Tuk” Chongwisut’s spot on “VIP” on Modernine now that it’s been revamped and renamed “VVIP”. She’s sliding into the hosting chair next to Surivipa “Mam” Kuntangwattana.
And Joey Boy gets to fatten up the “actor” section on his resume. He’ll be appearing in the soon-to-premiere primetime TV drama “Roy Fun Tawan Duad” alongside Nadech Kugimiya and Urassaya “Yaya” Sperbund, the perennial and always popular “couple” in all these Channel 3 shows. Joey plays Huru Miura, the Japanese owner of a nightclub in Yokohama and best friend of Ryu (Nadech).
This isn’t Joey’s acting debut – he was in the GTH musical comedy “Kao Kao” (“The Possible”) and in the TV sitcom “Phoo Kong Jao Saneh”. He also directed the zombie comedy “Gangcore Gud” (“Dead Bite”). This is “merely” his first prime-time series, and the role is no bit part – it’s quite significant.
Maybe it’s time we stopped referring to him as Joey Boy the rapper.

A peek at Bie’s diary
Sukrit “Bie” Wisetkaew has just flown back from New York, where he participated in rehearsals for the musical “Khang Lung Phab” (“Behind the Painting”), in which he reprises his role as Nopporn for the American crowd.
Bie tells us the show is about 70 per cent ready and he’s quite pleased with the way things are coming together. Several crucial tasks are still ahead, though, including the producer rounding up more financial investors so that the show can tour if it proves popular enough. “I’m not feeling any pressure anymore, though,” Bie says. “The important thing is working hard to improve my skills for any coming circumstances.”
The pair of rehearsals they had in New York were the fully monty – the staging, blocking and choreography are firmly in place. Tak Viravan of “Takonkiet” fame is directing the English-language version from a script by Tony Award-winner Richard Maltby Jr, Dan Knechtges is in charge of the dancing, and David Shire, a two-time Tony nominee, provides the score.
BroadwayWorld.com says two veterans of the Great White Way will be joining Bie onstage: actresses Sierra Boggess (from “The Little Mermaid”) and Ruthie Ann Miles (“Here Lies Love”). The tale tales place in Bangkok and Tokyo between 1933 and 1939. A young Thai student falls in love with the American wife of a Thai diplomat, and their forbidden love parallels history – Siam is newly democratic and Japan is increasingly anti-American.
Bie is hardly loafing now that he’s safely back in Thailand. “Khid Theung Wittaya” (“The Teacher’s Diary”) – his movie debut – hit cinemas this week, so he’s busy doing promotions with director Nithiwat Tarathorn and co-star Chermarn “Ploy” Boonyasak.
“The Teacher’s Diary” is the first movie out of studio GTH since “Pee Mak Phra Khanong” set box offices around the region ablaze last year. Bie might not be worried about his Broadway musical, but he has to be at least a little concerned as to whether his first film can get anywhere near the track record of “Pee Mak”.
 

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