Before the days when digital devices and the internet became a source of entertainment for the masses, live performances such as ngiw and likay attracted handsome crowds.
Today, interest in these performing arts is waning, but back then, they were considered staple sources of entertainment, alongside luk thung concerts and outdoor movies.
A Ngiw performance.
Ngiw is a form of Chinese opera which first arrived on our shores in the early 1950s with immigrants from China's southeastern provinces.
Performed by the immigrants themselves, it was sung in various Chinese dialects as it was initially not intended for a Thai audience. In fact, its main function was to provide entertainment and some home comforts for the migrants now in a strange land.
These operas were wildly popular among the Thai-Chinese and were mostly performed in areas with large numbers of Chinese people, such as Yaowarat, Sam Yan and Charoen Krung.
As their popularity grew and performances in Thai started to become available, ngiw soon became a hit in the provinces.
A Likay show.
Along with elaborate costumes, their distinctive make-up, drama, dance and song, acrobatics and martial arts also made ngiw an intriguing performance which gave Thais a window into Chinese culture.
At the heart of every opera is always a moral that encourages people to be good.
Today, if people want to see ngiw, Chinese New Year celebrations or funerals are a free source, where troupes are hired to entertain the gods and spirits, as well as the public.
Otherwise, Chinese-related festivals may be one of the few other options left, whether performed in Thai or Teochew.
Like ngiw, likay, or folk opera, is also a live performance heavy with make-up, dark-lined eyes and eyebrows, luscious lashes and coloured lips, but minus the white powdered face that symbolises ngiw.
The costumes are also a spectacle: they are a dazzling sight due to all-over embellishments made from jewels, crystals or even diamonds.
Likay employs few stage props. The performer's poetic impromptu verse and fast-paced action are the main means that help audiences imagine the scenery.
While many gestures and dance moves suggest this art originated from India, the true source of likay remains unclear as it also seems to be a hybrid of dikir, a southern Muslim style of performance, blended with Thai plot material and music.
Before each likay show begins, there's an awk khaek, or introductory period, involving a man in a Muslim costume summarising the plot of the opera.
Likay first started in the Central region, but troupes also toured the country as its popularity spread.
Today, likay performances are harder to find, unless they are performed at temple fairs, organised events or ordination ceremonies.
These folk operas may have been the most popular form of entertainment for the masses in the late 19th century, but today, even the likelihood of watching it live has been reduced — people who still enjoy likay prefer to buy VCDs of shows or watch it in the comfort of their own home on cable TV or online.
