BRIGHT LIGHTS HIT THE BEACH
Audiences flocked to Hua Hin for a seaside musical with a serious message beneath the glitz
The curtain has already fallen on Klai Kangwon Musical on the Beach, but the buzz is still going strong.
The play, which was staged to mark His Majesty the King’s 88th birthday anniversary this year, was the brainchild of the Ministry of Tourism and Transport, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, Hua Hin Municipality and other partners in the private sector.
Klai Kangwon Musical on the Beach was first performed in 2013 in honour of Their Majesties the King and Queen, and to mark the centenary of the Ministry of Communications, and its popularity led to it being put on again this year.
This time around, the setting had been enhanced to make it even more grand, particularly the Ban Kliew Kluen Hotel set, with the real waves in the background tinged by spotlights for added ambience. The audience stand had also been expanded to seat more viewers.
The set for Grandfather’s house, which represented a self-sufficient lifestyle, comprised greater detail than before, while a live orchestra played from one side of the stage. A vintage supercar worth millions of baht, and a horse were even included on stage to help bring audiences back in time to the Hua Hin of old.
The play begins with a host of celebrities and media arriving in Hua Hin by train to attend the opening of the luxury Ban Kliew Kluen Hotel belonging to the son of a politician who believes that money can buy everything.
The performance takes place in the form of a play within a play, and the playwright, a young graduate named Roong, is the modern and impressionable young lady who is gradually taught the difference between excess and sufficiency.
The representatives of materialism and capitalism are offset by Grandfather, played by veteran actor Rong Khaomoonkadee, and his grandson, who works in the royal rain-making unit in Hua Hin.
They live in a turn of the century beach house which has remained the same over the decades despite the threat of looming condominiums.
Grandfather is the one who recounts his impressions of His Majesty the King, his principles of self-sufficiency, and his love of Klai Kangwon Palace, and converts the young Roong.
The musical was performed at Hua Hin Queen’s Park, Prachuap Khiri Khan, and audiences were able to attend free of charge.