The Fringe gets fun

Published on February 7, 2008

Enthusiasm filled Bangkok's Patravadi Theatre last weekend with its Theatre-in-the-Garden finally more than half full on the third weekend of the Bangkok Fringe Festival 2008.

The screening of short independent films in the afternoon may have boosted attendance, with many people staying on to watch the evening dance performances. And although the audience still consisted largely of expatriates, there were more Thais.

Another reason for the bigger crowd was likely "A Piece of Coin", the latest offering from Pichet Klunchun's Life Work Dance Company. Having originally planned to comment on the state of classical Thai performance, Pichet instead focused on the superficial beauty to which we tend to attach so much value.

Onstage, an overweight man moved to hip-hop music, then a skinny man appeared followed by a man with beautifully toned muscles, and finally a chubby chap.

Like coins, humans come in different sizes, but it's usually the case that the bigger the coin, the more value it has.

The performers eventually removed their tracksuit bottoms and, in boxer shorts, began to measure each other up in silence. Their respective sizes made no difference to the obvious worth of their dancing. Their beauty was created in their own unique ways.

Next up at Studio 1 this weekend is the Chulalongkorn University Drama Club's "Tragedy of Bellies", a more verbal take on the same weighty issue, which clearly needs further attention.

Although the fattest man onstage in "Coin" was determined to dance, the audience laughed at his flabby arms and spare tyre. He might have had fun, but I felt he was still being ridiculed.

And many viewers felt that the political message towards the end - a nag from nowhere about Samak Sundaravej and Thaksin Shinawatra - was irrelevant.

Two other productions last weekend were imported.

Mobius Strip's Hong Kong-Taiwan collaboration "Being In or Out" took the audience on a search for spirituality in the modern world.

In the opening scene, director-actor Alex Cheung, in a black suit, circled a mat carrying a briefcase, backed by projected video images of a failed space mission. In the next scene he was a monk trying to meditate despite mosquitoes and his drowsiness.

It added up to a rather self-indulgent performance requiring a lot of effort from the audience, with little of the expected interaction.

"BSP08" by Hong Kong's Bare Stage Project, on the other hand, was more memorable with its celebration of the power of dance.

Four dancer-choreographers showed strong technical prowess and easy-on-the-eye choreography. The dance steps were well executed and accompanied by various genres of music from pop and folk to classical.

The result was a fine blend of beauty, humour and passion, as well as contemplation. Routine-dulled senses were enlivened, and as the dancers let their bodies flow, the audience were empowered to let their minds grow into the experience.

For more on the Bangkok Fringe Festival 2008, visit PatravadiTheatre.com.

The writer can be contacted at min_ballet@hotmail.com.

Jasmine Baker

Special to The Nation