Love -- as many of us are perhaps too painfully aware -- can sometimes be as bitter as it can be sweet. Like the age old adage tells us, "where there is love, there is suffering"; and yet, love seems to be one of those things that is universally coveted by mankind, as if we expect this ethereal concept of expectations and desire to be the answer to all the world's woes. But what happens when love seems to be the source of those woes? Is it still worth it to hold on to love, even if we are slowly damning ourselves to a lifetime of suffering?
These are some of the questions being addressed in [Un]tied, The love, Hope And Journey Of Vasitthi, a two-hour stage performance adapted from the famous Danish book The Pilgrim Kamanita written by Nobel-prize winning author Karl Adolph Gjellerup in 1906. Known as one of the oddest books written in Danish, The Pilgrim Kamanita was uncommon for its time due to its utter lack of European characters, despite being written by a Danish author. An excerpt of the Thai edition, translated by famous Thai scholar Phraya Anuman Rajadhon, even used to be included in Thai middle-school textbooks.
Gjellerup's book -- which was translated into English in 1912 and Thai in the 1930s -- follows the story of Kamanita, the son of a wealthy Indian merchant, and his winding path of desires and riches which leads him to meet the Buddha, before finally achieving Nirvana.
On his travels prior to meeting Buddha, Kamanita becomes involved with a beautiful maiden by the name of Vasitthi, whom he falls madly in love with. However, due to his responsibility as a merchant, Kamanita was forced to leave Vasitthi to return home to his father, though he vows to come back for his beloved as soon as he can. Dire circumstances force Kamanita to delay his return to Vasitthi over and over again, only to find her married to another man when he finally returns for her.
[Un]tied is a spin-off of the original Danish text, and tells the story of Vasitthi's agonising wait for her lover's return, and the choices she has to make with regards to love. The play is directed by Karin Baipaisarn, a performing arts professor from Thammasat University's Faculty of Fine Arts.
The performance will be all in Thai, and will be held at the Thong Lor-based Pridi Banomyong Institute's Crescent Moon Theatre, from this Thursday to Sunday. The theatre's doors will close at 8pm. There are only 20 seats available per performance, so interested parties should reserve seats as soon as possible by contacting the production team at 082-692-6228 or 091-775-1215. Tickets cost 550 baht, while early bird and student tickets cost 450 and 400 baht respectively.
