Khon of plenty

Published on January 7, 2008

Their Majesties the King and Queen graciously presided over the December 25 performance of "Prommas", a rare showcase of classical Thai masked-dance theatre staged at the Thailand Cultural Centre.

Appropriately enough, tickets were completely sold out for the final December 27 and 28 shows of this concert version of the "Ramakien", bringing to an end an auspicious year filled with events in celebration of HM the King's 80th birthday.

The evening commenced with a musical prelude excerpted from the Lakon Dukdamban "Kawi", composed by HRH Prince Narisara Nuvadtivongs, with the lyrics expressing the benevolent gods' blessings upon Their Majesties the King and Queen as well as other royal family members.

This was followed by another prelude, the "Praleng Dance" - a tradition that dates back to the Ayutthaya period and is used to seek the gods' blessing for the production's success in pleasing the royal audience.

After these two overtures, which lasted about 30 minutes and, despite their classical beauty, drew a few yawns from the contemporary audience, the main programme began. In the Prommas episode, Crown Prince Indrajit of Lonka impersonates Indra, fooling Rama's army led by Lakshman. The mischievous demon then shoots the Prommas arrow at the army, which is saved by Rama and the heroic action of his commander-in-chief, Hanuman.

Since Prince Narisara created this "concert" version of "Ramakien" to entertain foreign audiences at state banquets during King Chulalongkorn's reign, the plot of "Prommas" moves at a much faster pace than regular khon performances. That gives it an edge in capturing the attention of 21st-century audience members, many of whom are also foreign to this performing arts culture.

One minor letdown was that the delicate energy of the dance movements - the most significant element of khon - was at times overwhelmed by the music. The military band, or Wong Yotawathit in Thai, was too dominating to accompany such a finessed theatrical form as khon. As an intercultural innovation, it simply wasn't effective. While this may have been due to the fact that most of the performers were students of the Banditpatanasilpa Institute, not masters and professional artists, members of the audience with prior exposure to khon were quick to understand why this performing art is traditionally accompanied by a classical Piphat ensemble.

However, the costumes were a visual delight, especially for those sitting in the front half of the large hall and able to appreciate the exquisite details. Overseen by artisans enlisted by the Queen, this new set of costumes truly showcases a wide spectrum of Thai craftsmanship.

The set design, despite its grandeur, was not as commendable. For example, while the first scene in the Audience Hall of the Royal Palace of Lonka looked majestic, as the action moved to Indrajit's Ceremonial Hall where he was consecrating the Prommas arrow, the atmosphere was marred by the dull painted backdrops. The whole effect was a far cry from the mural paintings of the scene.

In addition, the tricks behind many stage effects, such as Hanuman's flight and his breaking of Erawan's neck, were similar to what many in the audience had been watching all their lives. Could modern stage technology not have been adopted and adapted here to make the performance more theatrically magical and hence contemporary, similar to that witnessed in "Siam Niramit" but without tampering with tradition?

One of my expat friends often complains that it's very difficult to find out about khon performances at the National Theatre. He also notes that khon seems to have a group of die-hard followers, mainly senior citizens who know by word of mouth when and where their next event will take place, while others are left in the dark.

"Prommas", which was a special performance and even had an English plot summary projected on side screens, didn't suffer the same problem as it drew considerable media attention.

My friends will have the same problem this year, as the refurbishment of the National Theatre is still not completed. Without regular, or at least frequent, scheduled performances and with little appeal to the younger generation, can khon even continue to exist?

With that in mind, The Nation would like to plug the following two performances.

Fans of khon may have already marked February 1 and 2 on their calendar. Thailand Cultural Centre on February 1 will see a grand-scale production of "Lord Mali Warat's Judgement", with a script edited by the late National Artist Seri Wangnaitham and music arranged by National Artist Montri Tramote. The performance features many star performers, among them Pakorn Pornpisut and Supachai Chansuwan. Tickets costing from Bt500 to Bt2,500 are now available through Thaiticketmajor.

Then, on February 2, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will preside over "Khon Klang Plang" ("Outdoors Masked Dance Theatre"), a highlight of the King Rama II Memorial Festival at King Rama II Park in Amphawa district, Samut Songkram, an hour southwest of Bangkok. For more information, call 1672.

Pawit Mahasarinand

 The Nation

The writer can be contacted at Pawit.M@chula.ac.th.