The Thai silks were there, the celebrities were there, but the warm wraps indicated that this was not Thailand, but London on a cool June evening. It was as much a social occasion as a cultural presentation, when artists of the Fine Arts Department performed the khon masked dance drama at the Royal Albert Hall.
The event, jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Tourism and Sports, served to mark the auspicious 60th birthday of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, a royal patron of Thai arts.
Princess Sirindhorn founded the Thai Music Circle in London in 1991 and granted some Thai musical instruments to the Royal Thai Embassy in London, making TMC the first complete Thai music ensemble in Europe.
The khon performance also marked another milestone — the 160th anniversary of Thailand-UK diplomatic relations.
It was the first of the “Totally Thai” trilogy that also included the Thai Film Festival, which took place at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) from June 25-27, and the upcoming Thailand Eye art exhibition featuring 25 Thai artists at the Saatchi Gallery in London in November and December this year.
The Thai community in England was prominent in number, all eager to have the opportunity to watch a performance by Thailand’s top artists.
Lingering outside the Royal Albert Hall, you could almost be misled into thinking that this was indeed Thailand, as prominent faces from Thai social circles mingled and chatted with friends based in England.
Several guests came dressed in Thai outfits in every shade of purple — the colour for Saturday, the princess’s day of birth. Also spotted was a contemporary jongkraben wrap trousers topped with a beret.
There was a huge flurry of cameras as the dancers in their glittering costumes made their way to the statue of Prince Albert to take a group photograph. Many took selfies with their favourite characters — Hanuman the monkey warrior, Thotsakan the demon, Rama, Lakshman or the beautiful Sita.
Meanwhile, VIPs including top government officials including deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs Gen Tanasak Patimapragorn, Minister of Culture Vira Rojpojchanarat and Minister of Tourism and Sports Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul rubbed shoulders in the Prince of Wales room. There they had a view of the Albert Memorial and Hyde Park, and the room was lined with beautiful 17th century Dutch paintings by artists including Pieter de Hooch and Jacob Ruisdael donated to the Hall by its former vice-president Charles Graham Dixon in 1985.
Soon the arena and stalls were full and the some of the audience were also seated in the boxes at different levels.
The turn-out of more than 3,000 people was beyond expectation and the organisers and performers were thrilled that khon was making such a huge impact. After all, it had been 130 years since a Thai classical ensemble had performed on that same stage.
On June 8, 1885, 19 Thai musicians sent by King Chulalongkorn to take part in an international music festival presented classical Thai music there.
They stayed in England for three months, performing three shows a week, and also took part in a royal command performance for Queen Victoria at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.
The show was narrated by Apichart Intravisit so audiences could understand the unfolding drama.
A short demonstration also conveyed to the audience a few key movements to further enhance their enjoyment of the show.
The dance featured key scenes from the entire range of the Ramayana from start to finish, with a short 20-minute interval.
A rousing round of applause was given at the end of the historic performance.
Hopefully audiences in London will not have to wait another 130 years to have the opportunity to watch another grand Thai classical dance performance. n
