7.31.2006

Rirkrit's "rak opera"

Rirkrit Tiravanija artistic directed a Thai rock opera based loosely on the Thai version of the Ramayana (Ramakien) at the Lincoln Center Festival. The New York Times review wasn't exactly glowing: "Grandly ambitious and inconclusive, overstuffed and sketchy... A concert tour might have been a better introduction to Thai rock..." Dubbed "a work in the international avant-spectacle mode," it featured three of Thailand's most popular bands, Sek Loso, the Photo Sticker Machine and Modern Dog, as well as an array of pop stars. While apparently not a rousing success, I blog it because I find Rirkrit's openness to new challenges and forms fascinating...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I had to go through dozens of Thai CDs to put together some music for a Thai restaurant client. Sadly, I can well imagine just how bad the music in this show must be.