An early Christmas for Bangkok | Bangkok Post: Arts & Culture

Bangkok is a city of contrasts _ city of angels and sin, of luxury and poverty _ so on what better canvas of juxtaposition to set a daring adaptation of the famous Dickens novel, A Christmas Carol, as part of this year's International Festival of Dance and Music?

But the challenges were laid bare. On paper, the odds were against the performance enthralling its audience, facing a series of potential obstacles and points of departure, but somehow it managed to charm and entertain even the most sceptical of viewers in the almost full house.

The most obvious potential snag confessed itself in the title, since it's September and seemingly too early for any Christmas cheer just yet. Although the seasons vary in Bangkok, it is only in degree of hotness, and the sweeping sets that saw snow trickling from the stage eves took some suspension of disbelief, as it wouldn't have lasted long outside in the balmy Bangkok air. And as the orchestra began hinting at the familiar Christmas carol motifs to come, the threat of both cultural and geographic displacement emerged. But the easy charm of the production managed to tactfully avoid any such disruption.