REVIEW

IRRESISTIBLE YOU

Even after a decade, solo performer Wannasak Sirilar can still make audiences fall in love with him

AMITHA AMRANAND

At the weekend, art gallery Tadu Contemporary Art and theatre company Dokmai Karnbanteung (Flower Entertainment) celebrated their joint 10th anniversary with a performance by Dokmai Karnbanteung's founder, Wannasak Sirilar.

Although they operate in separate fields, the two small art bodies have been making lively contributions to the local art scene alongside each other for as long as they've existed. Wannasak has expanded into children's theatre, and with friends he has opened a coffee shop in Phuket, where he uses theatre as a tool to work with children in the community.

Perhaps this seeking out of new challenges is part of the reason why, at the age of 38, his energy as a performer and creative force has yet to falter.

In Ten 10th, Wannasak weaves 10 of his pieces together to create a new story of a gay man trying to find his place in the world. Staged on the rooftop of Tadu Contemporary Art at the Barcelona Motor Building, Ten 10th confirmed Wannasak's place as one of the most versatile theatre artists to date. He writes, directs, composes, acts, sings and dances.

With Wannasak's solo shows, the audience is always guaranteed copious amounts of laughter, an abundance of naughty jokes and plenty of witty lines. Yet experiencing one of his performances also means having to expect the unexpected. Our laughter often comes from surprise. Not just surprise, but also a delight at his audacity and incisive quick-wittedness.

His creations illuminate different facets of sexuality and address ostracism and prejudice with humour and a sensitivity that can move an audience to tears. However, in Wannasak's work, one can never detect even a hint of self-pity. It's never about finger-pointing or a denouncement of any kind of mentality. Perhaps it's because we always leave his performances happy, the stories - messages - are burned deeply into our memories.

To me, Ten 10th didn't celebrate what Wannasak is about as much as the effect he has had on audiences over the past decade. His shows, although short and compact, have never failed to leave us satisfied, sometimes for days afterward. And to stage his performance on a rooftop, with drinks and snacks, made the event feel more communal than a formal theatrical affair.

The chorus of singing and dancing men, together with Bang Lamphu's hip hop dance group B-Boy, complemented and amplified Wannasak's already energetic presence. Unfortunately the show came to an abrupt end due to rain, but, full of surprises and mischievous tricks, Ten 10th showed how much Wannasak has grown as an artist. And it doesn't look like he's going to stop improving anytime soon.

Bangkok Post

Last Updated : Wednesday April 11, 2007