Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Traditional Theatre & Dance
Kŏhn
Scenes performed in traditional
kŏhn
(and
lá·kon
performances) - a dance drama formerly
reserved for court performances - come from the 'epic journey' tale of the
Ramakian
(the
Thai version of the Hindu epic, the
Ramayana
), with parallels in the Greek Odyssey and
the myth of Jason and the Argonauts. In all
kŏhn
performances, four types of characters are
represented - male humans, female humans, monkeys and demons. Monkey and demon
figures are always masked with the elaborate head coverings often seen in tourist promo
material. Behind the masks and make-up, all actors are male. Traditional
kŏhn
is very ex-
pensive to produce - Ravana's retinue alone (Ravana is the principal villain of the
Ramaki-
an
) consists of more than 100 demons, each with a distinctive mask.
Lá·kon
The more formal
lá·kon nai
(inner
lá·kon,
which means that it is performed inside the
palace) was originally performed for lower nobility by all-female ensembles. Today it's a
dying art, even more so than royal
kŏhn.
In addition to scenes from the
Ramakian
,
lá·kon
nai
performances may include traditional Thai folk tales; whatever the story, text is always
sung.
Lá·kon nôrk
(outer
lá·kon,
performed outside the palace) deals exclusively with folk
tales and features a mix of sung and spoken text, sometimes with improvisation. Male and
female performers are permitted. Like
kŏhn
and
lá·kon nai,
performances of
lá·kon nôrk
are
increasingly rare.
A variation on
lá·kon
that has evolved specifically for shrine worship,
lá·kon gâa bon
in-
volves an ensemble of about 20, including musicians. At an important shrine such as
Bangkok's Lak Meuang, four troupes may alternate, each for a week at a time, as each per-
formance lasts from 9am to 3pm and there is usually a long list of worshippers waiting to
hire them.
Translations of Thai short stories and novels can be downloaded as e-books at
www.thaiiction.com
.
Lí·gair
In outlying working-class neighbourhoods of Bangkok you may be lucky enough to come
across the gaudy, raucous
lí·gair.
This theatrical art form is thought to have descended from
