Laughing through tears

TV company Work Point Entertainment is venturing into a new realm - commercial theatre. The star-studded comedy "Chai Klang" will be staged from July 21 to 29.

Based on "Pritsana", the hit stage comedy of 2003 that was performed by architecture students at Chulalongkorn University, "Chai Klang" is being directed by Teravat Anuvatudom, the head of Toh Klom Karn Lakorn, a Work Point subsidiary.

"I was actively involved in the 2003 production," says Teravat. "I liked this group of young friends [many of whom work for his company now]. They were easygoing and fun to hang out with. I watched all the performances of 'Pritsana' and also performed in some. But I didn't know how good it was - I just had fun being part of it - until Praphat Chonsaranon [Work Point lyricist and writer, who's also the producer of 'Chai Klang'] saw the show and said that it should be restaged as a professional production. I asked him why, and he said the script was very good - not necessarily the dialogue, but the themes.

"So I wanted to do it but the opportunity hasn't come until now. Boy [Takonkiet Viravan] has paved the way for commercial theatre with his popular productions, and so I thought, 'Hmm, we should be able to do it now.' Also, there's the fact he now has his own playhouse.

"Another factor is that Nose [stand-up comedian, writer, and artist Udom Taepanich] has agreed to perform the lead role. He watched 'Pritsana', liked it, and understands the story very well. He fits this role perfectly, both physically and mentally. He's rebellious, he's an artist - a person who's difficult to live with. Also, the role should be performed by an everyman - a loser who's trying hard to find a space to stand in society. Finally, of course, he's a bankable actor. So, all the pieces of the puzzle have been joined to complete the picture and here we are.

"Those who saw 'Pritsana' [which won the Best Student Play Production Award from Hamburger magazine] have the opportunity to revisit the fun with 'Chai Klang'," guarantees Teravat. "The script has been through many revisions and it's more logical now. There are certain aspects that we didn't think through then, as we just wanted to finish it in time, but we've had time to reconsider them and do fine tuning this time round."

In "Chai Klang", struggling novelist Somchai (Nose) wants to create a different kind of book to educate his reader. But his editor (Nirut Sirichanya) forces him to write a romance novel, a genre he despises. His new work turns out to be melodramatic and full of character stereotypes like the Noble Hero (Nithi "Job" Samutkochorn) and the Demure Heroine (Sririta Jensen), along with sappy plot lines. The first episode is a big hit and he has to write more. But the more he writes, the more he feels that he's betraying himself. The scenes in the play shift back and forth between Somchai's harsh real life, shared with his overlooked but sensitive wife (Pornchita "Benz" Na Songkhla), and the world of his fiction that's filled with happiness and fantasy.

"For me, the central theme concerns how people value different things," adds Teravat. "What is priceless for some may be worthless for others, for instance. Certainly, there are other themes and further interpretations, but this is what is clearest to me now."

The show's tagline is "a tragedy in the tango rhythm". "The story is both tragic and comic, and we tried to define it in a sentence," Teravat says. "Praphat came up with the tagline. What actually happens in Somchai's life is very tragic, but the audience will laugh at this fictional world of events he creates. The play juxtaposes comedy with a feeling like 'Whoa! Why does life have to be so painful?' In the end, both are inseparable."

'Chai Klang' is being performed at Muang Thai Rachadalai Theatre from July 21 to 29. Showtime is 7.30pm, with additional 1pm matinee on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are Bt2,000, Bt1,500, Bt1,200, Bt1,000 and Bt500, and are available from Thaiticketmajor. For more information, visit www.chaiklang.com, call (02) 615 7076, or e-mail chaiklang@chaiklang.com.

Pawit Mahasarinand  

The writer can be reached at pawit.m@chula.ac.th.