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Siam Niramit

Posted by Stuart at 09:21 PM on January 25, 2006

To celebrate my fourth third cycle birthday, Piyawat and I went to check out the Siam Niramit show here in Bangkok. I went in with moderate expectations, after being mostly under-whelmed at the last big Thai production I saw: Alcazar in Pattaya.

But this time, I came out impressed. The show had three main acts:

Act 1: A "historical" look at the four regions of Thailand (Lanna Kingdom in the north, trading between Muslims and Chinese in the south, Khmer culture in Isaan, and Ayutthaya)

Act 2: Thai mythology (Buddhist Hell, the Himmapan Forest, and Buddhist Heaven)

Act 3: Thai festivals (Loy Kratong and Songkran, among others)

The second act was my favorite by far. I have seen pictures and statues depicting Buddhist hell in temples, but to see it acted out in live theatre with music, sound effects, and lots of screaming was a novel experience. It actually was a bit uncomfortable to watch... which means that it was well done! The Himmapan Forest with mystical creatures like Kinaree, Nagas, and Singha lions was quite fanciful. And the Buddhist Heaven with flying angels looked like it came right off the painting on the back wall of a Thai temple.

It was very similar to the Phuket Fantasea (as I remember it), but I thought this one was much better. The sets, the costuming, the lighting, and the choreography were all very well done. To me, the price tag was a bit on the high side, though (1500 baht = US$37.50) but it was worth it for a one-time viewing, especially on my birthday.