Love is in the air. For theatregoers who crave heart-wrenching, tear-jerking romance filled with different flavours of love tunes, the revival of Lom Haijai: The Musical (The Breath) is here for you.
The inspirational story of a film director whose untimely death leaves those he left behind in tears is the plot of this jukebox musical featuring Boy Kosiyabong's pop hits from the past two decades. Produced by Scenario, the revival, with an entirely new cast after its first staging seven years ago, still manages to turn audiences with laughter and tears through its three-hour run time.
Napat "Gun" Injaiuea and Nuengthida "Noona" Sophon charm with their sonorous voices and powerful belting, though their acting appears to resemble that of Patiparn "Mos" Pataweekarn and Nicole Theriault in the original run. Although this could be interpreted as the standardised production, it does hamper the chance of the two actors to shine with their own interpretation. In fact, Nuengthida's character does not go beyond that of an ordinary girl yearning for lost love. This results from the typecast acting as well as a script that tells about, rather than shows, real love for an ill-fated man.
Making their debuts are pianist-cum-singer Saksit "Tor" Vejsupaporn and Arisa Homkrun. Both did a fair job, but they could have done better than offering superficial stock characters if they had worked harder on characterisation.
The ensemble of 15 members is the spice of the show. But stealing the limelight is the experienced singer-cum-actress Thanaporn "Parn" Wagprayoon. Rising to stardom in her theatrical debut with Dreambox's Dreamgirls in 2012, here she brings her fierce energy and powerhouse lungs to the Muangthai Ratchadalai stage, where she plays a brash bar-owner who witnesses the leads' ups and downs. Her portrayal appears quite natural, refreshingly different from that of Radklao Amaradisha in the original staging.
The musical also offers a glimpse of West End productions, namely, a plot more or less similar to Ghost: The Musical, a dance number similar to those in Singin' In The Rain, and three singing nuns from Sister Act. Still, such loans are well-synced to the story and give it colour.
In the revival, music composer Boy Kosiyabong has added sweetness, with a couple of new songs and modern sound arrangement for his pop hits, such Lom Haijai (The Breath), Home, Prod Thur (Please), Live And Learn, and Ruedu Thi Tak Tang (Different Seasons). But the most outstanding and impactful number is Rak (Love). Just a few notes of its interlude in Act I sent the audience into a swoon. In Act II, when the two lovebirds reunite in spirit, the song uplifts the show with euphoria.
Lom Haijai: The Musical is staging at Muangthai Rachadalai Theatre, at Esplanade Mall, until Sept 11. Showtimes are Fridays at 7.30pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm and 6.30pm. Tickets cost 500-3,000 baht and are available at thaiticketmajor.com, or by calling 02-2623456.
