Little Man in the Big Wood

By: Dawn SRV

Oct 05 2014

Tags: art, Bangkok, Bhanbhassa Dhubthien, LGBT theatre, play, queer theatre, theater, theater art

Category: Music and Art

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How Small Can a Theatre Be? I used Google map navigation and walked pass the door three times before I decided to call a friend and asked where it was, only to find out that it was on the fifth floor of a small coffee shop! Because it was so small, the roof top space was utilized as dressing room. There was enough room to accommodate two rows of audience seats.

In September 2014, Sun Dance Theatre – the first LGBT theatre in Bangkok was opened. Their first show was a play called The Four Sisters plus One, written by Shogo Tanikawa a Japanese-Thai playwright. The story was about four drag queens facing life’s crisis. The drag club they’re working with is about to be closed. These so-called ‘sisters’ have miserable yet fun lives and dreams to pursue.

The play was directed by one of the best directors in town, Bhanbhassa Dhubthien. She has made another quality show. Actors are hilarious without a sign of pretending. They don’t have to overact to be funny. I had brimming tear at a certain part of the show. That, too, came naturally.

Playwright’s witty language made the play a good food for thoughts. Some sharp phrases made a hit. For example: “If you’re not brave you can’t come out and become a gay openly.” Or, when asked if he was shaky living with an unknown tomorrow, the illegal immigrant boy said, “Today is the best”. There is more than one dimension in the life of a person – gay or not.