Dreambox's director-cum-producer Suwandee Jakravoravudh wrote on Facebook that adapting Dreamgirls into Thai was such a heavy job, that it would be much easier to do it in original English.
Thanaporn Vakprayoon, Pijika Jittaputta and Nattapat Vipatakorntrakul in Dreamgirls.
Had that happened, it would have been a pity as her Thai adaption of Dreamgirls is not just a one-night-only affair for theatre-goers. Dreambox's remaking of the 1981 Broadway hit that mirrors the music industry of 60s and 70s not only upholds the spirit of musical theatre, but also brings out the best from some local talent.
Three powerful leads _ all professional singers _ are dream-come-true girls for Dreambox. In her theatrical debut, popster Thanaporn "Pan" Vakprayoon from RS Promotion Recoding company created the magic of the night in the vocally demanding role of Effie White. There is no question about her ability as she has already proved herself one of the nation's top singers. Impressively, she delivered a show stopper And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going, the most masochistic number in Broadway history, in a heart-wrenching fashion with her powerhouse lungs. Her vocal technique let her belt out other numbers including Heavy and I'm Changing in a dramatic yet pleasing manner.
And she can act, too. The minute she walked into the stage, you can sense her character's self-centredness. Comfortable with her movement and supposedly sheer-sized body, she showed that she could act with both drama and playfulness _ though at times appeared too stereotypically animated.
Pijika Jittaputta portrays Deena Jones who rises to stardom from a back-up to a lead singer of The Dreams. Like Thanaporn, Pijika engaged the audience with her singing power and sweet face. Her acting, however, appears to be more natural and convincing especially in her duet numbers that demand dramatic sentiments like You Are My Dream. Shining on stage was singer/actress Nattapat Vipatakorntrakul who portrays Laurel Robinson. Though appearing in a supporting role, Nattapat got audience attention for her operatic, high-pitch vocalisation. As each scene progressed, it couldn't be denied that her talent and beauty gradually shone out. At certain points, however, she aimed to create comic relief. But with better timing and a little more practice, she could excel in this department. Literally stepping to the bad side are the lead actors.
Though a prolific TV actor with a nice personality, Vorawit Fuengaromya, aka Knot, cannot really sing for musical theatre. While he has appeared in two musical productions with Dreambox before, his progress is not well seen in this musical.
It was as if he thought he could get away with his acting skills. But the fact that his lead role as Curtis Taylor Jr required rigorous stage demands and strong control over the vocal projection, unfortunately made Vorawit the weakest link in the production.
Other male leads and the ensemble came to the rescue _ almost. Singer Chris Degon impressively tried his very best to represent an odd-ball character. Still his often nasal vocals and his trying-to-be-playful performance looked out of place. Meanwhile, Thanasit Jaturaput and Kritmongkol Silapi, who portrayed CC White and Wayne, successfully moved the audience with their efforts.
It is natural and understandable for any Broadway adaptation into Thai to experience some awkward lyric translations, but this is not an issue for this production.
The performers and playwright-cum-translator Daraka Wongsiri incorporated Thai words into the well-composed original score from the West. Daraka again managed to do a wonderful translation job _ despite some anachronistic word choices at time.
The experienced creative team maintained their high standard of stagecraft, from using basic costume changes to advanced LED screens, and director Dulatat Wasinajindakaew deserves credit for bringing the talent together.
Unfortunately the show's two-week run ended too soon. But Dreambox's Dreamgirls is scheduled to return in mid-September for another short run, a not-to-be-missed opportunity for theatre aficionados.
