Unfortunately, Pichet Klunchun will not appear onstage in a reproduction of his dance performance Naii Nai which begins tomorrow at Chulalongkorn University's Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre of Dramatic Arts. Other changes from last year's staging in Singapore with TheatreWorks include the title, which has changed to The Gentlemen, and the performance's narrative, which has been rendered more conventional.
The Gentlemen was first staged last year at TheatreWorks in Singapore with the title Naii Nai.
But all his thoughts and attitudes in the work, said the John D. Rockefeller 3rd award-winning contemporary dancer, will be just the same.
"Perhaps it's better when there's not me onstage," said Pichet, who has over the years amassed a big local and international following by experimenting with Thai mask dance khon, giving it a contemporary edge. "I don't want the audience to come and see me, I want them to focus on the work I created."
As opposed to nang nai, which means the royal court's lady-in-waiting, naii nai refers to the male servants who replaced females during the reign of King Rama VI. Pichet was inspired by reading Chanan Yodhong's Naii Nai During The Reign Of King Rama VI, a book exploring the little-known all-male environment inside the court, which stirred discussion and controversy when released two years ago.
"When I first read the book, I was struck by how the royal court these men were living in was similar to a reality show or a game show in our day because there was a lot of competition and power struggles going on," says Pichet. "Most Thais know about King Rama VI's patronage and sponsorship in traditional arts like khon but the book presented another side that most of us don't know. These men were trained in practically everything: military affairs, politics, the arts, sports, food, clothes, etc. They literally replaced all the female servants."
When Singapore's TheatreWorks company approached Pichet for a project idea, he decided to go for this because the idea of these men living in court was so full of life.
"There's a story of love, competition and power," he said. "It's so human. These days the military is completely separated from the arts. But in those days conservative and progressive ideas were one. They created and lived in their own world, they studied Western theatre, they read Shakespeare, they practised khon, carried out martial arts."
While Pichet takes the directorial seat, dancers from Pichet Klunchun Dance Company — Sunon Wachirawarakarn, Porramet Maneerat, Padung Jumpan, Jirayus Puatput and Korjai Ouiwatanapong — will take the stage. While in the Singapore version, Pichet made the performance like a TV game show, more about entertainment, this time it will more resemble theatre, with the focus on the drama of life.
There will be no dialogue in the performance; Pichet has drawn some men's activities in court as inspiration for his choreography. For example, there's a game in which players run and try to catch another person who's on the other side, and this has been made into physical moves in the show.
"The audience will see the physical bodies of these men through fights and games. We will see a sense of competitiveness, power, love and friendship through the narrative of physical movements," he said.
"We view these men as perfectionists, but in fact they are in a world of theatre, creating beliefs, patterns in life, rules. The version here will be quite different from Singapore because Thai audiences have comparatively more background on the storyline. There was something missing in the previous production, all fun and entertainment, but this time I hope the audience can actually take something back when the show's done."
- The Gentlemen will be staged at Chulalongkorn University's Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts tomorrow and on Saturday at 7.30pm and on Sunday at 2pm.
- Tickets cost 600 baht (300 baht for students and 400 baht for artists and audiences under 27 years old).
- For reservations, go to www.ShowBooking.com or call 02-218-4802 or 081-559-7252.
- There will also be a free admission workshop, "Body Pain", by Pichet Klunchun Dance Company on Saturday, from 1-4pm, at Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts. Preregistration is required, contact dramaartschula1971@gmail.com for more.
