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Comment by PORTFOLIOS*NET on November 2, 2009 at 9:06pm

The Jim Thompson Art Center is proud to present a Likay performance entitled the Red Demon, AKAONI. The Thai folk dance-drama is directed by Pradit Prasartthong, Silapathon who is a contemporary performing arts award winner (2004). This project is the result of a collaborative effort between Makhampom Foundation, Bangkok Theatre Network, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space and the Jim Thompson Art Center. The performance is part of the Bangkok Theatre Festival 2009. Pradit was asked by Hideki Noda, an internationally renowned Japanese director, to adapt his play script for the Makhampom Foundation. This unique Likay performance was presented in Japan as part of the Mekong Festival 2009 Project in celebration of the Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2009.

The performance will be held from Sunday November 1st until Sunday November 8, 2009 at 7.30 p.m. on weekdays and 2 p.m. on weekends at the Jim Thomson Art Center, Soi Kasemsan 2, opposite the National Stadium, Pathumwan (diagonally across from MBK to the stadium).

For more information, go to the web site: www.makhampom.net
For more details, please contact 087- 504-0891

Highlights:
This performance is a contemporary Likay (Thai folk dance-drama), an innovative adaptation of Thai stage performances. The work was created at the suggestion of Hideki Noda, an internationally famous Japanese director who asked Pradit Prasartthong, the first Silapathon award winner in performing arts (2004) from the Ministry of Culture, to create the work. The Thai artist was asked to create a Likay version of Red Demon by adapting Hideki’s play script for the Mekong Festival 2009 in Tokyo. Pradit is the first to present an entirely new theme through Likay. His work is outstanding and has been widely acclaimed among viewers and peers.

Summary of Red Demon
In the Thai version the character Akaoni (Red Demon) becomes Yuk Tua Dang to create this special Thai Likay. The style of the performance has been transformed from traditional Thai Likay to a contemporary version by a Silapathon award winner, Pradit Prasartthong.

According to the plot, villagers on an island in the south of Thailand saved the lives of two persons from the sea, Kini and Kmuki. The villagers fed Kini with shark-fin soup to help with her recovery. The soup seemed strange to Kini and she asked if it was really shark-fin soup. The villagers confirmed it was, but she could tell from the taste of the soup that something was wrong. The soup reminded her of her ordeal in the sea. Suddenly she realized what had really happened, and she ran away to jump off a cliff to her death.

Originally Kmuki, Kini, and another friend — Puglann had met Red Demon and had become very good friends. The villagers refused to accept this and tried to get rid of Red Demon. All four of friends finally left the village by boat. Eventually Kini lost consciousness due to lack of food and water. Then the Red Demon disappeared. In fact, Kmuki and Puglann had eaten the meat of their friend who had disappeared to survive and fed it to Kini so she would regain her strength. They lied to Kini telling her that the meat was shark fin.

What makes the story interesting are the characters and many symbolic gestures and speeches presented to the audience to promote morale awareness of human values?