Khon is a genre of a traditional dance that was conventionally permitted to perform only at the royal court during Ayutthaya Era. Performers who traditionally were male will wear mark and perform Thai dance. The show will be accompanied by narrators and Thai classical ensemble. The ensemble consists of fiddle, percussion and wind instruments.
The story of Khon is mainly based on a Thai literature named Ramakien, derived from a Hindu epic Ramayana. The tales of Ramakien is an allegory of mythical gods and evils. The heroic character, Rama, is the ideology of a good-governing King who is also attractive and competent. With support from his white monkey warrior called Hanuman, he is brought into an epic war and finally defeats his enemy Thotsakan. The conflict of this destructive battle is caused by the immoral Thotsakan who abducts the heroic Rama’s wife hoping to marry her. The theme of this Thai classical literature describes the concept of righteousness and the statement “good will triumph over evil.”
Not so often that you could have a good chance to watch Thai traditional performance; but during this season the Royal Khon Performance: Episode of Prommas is performing in Thailand Cultural Centre, Bangkok and inviting you to become a part of it. Adapted to Thai society since the Ayutthaya Kingdom, the elements of the drama such as settings, clothes or weapons have converted into Thai contexts. The audience, therefore, will have a chance to explore traditional Thai culture in an alternative pattern of entertainment. To adjust itself to the audience nowadays, the modern Khon also involves acrobatics and striking light-and-sound techniques. Reading until this paragraph, if you feel interested in Khon, this is more information for you.
Royal Khon Performance performs almost every day from now until December 5th, 2015. The show takes place twice a day which are 10 am and 2 pm. The price of a ticket costs 600, 800, 1,000 and 1,500 baht. To allow younger to have a chance to appreciate Khon and encourage them to preserve this culture, the organizer also offers special price for students which costs only 100 baht. To be aware, certain rounds especially those in 2pm are particular meant for students. Check that and the ticket availability at Thai Ticket Major http://www.thaiticketmajor.com/performance/khon-prommas-2015-en.html
There is an alternative for watching Khon. It is in Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre which is situated at 66 Chalermkrung Building, Tri Phet Rd, Wang Burapha Phirom, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200.
This place was founded during Rama 7th period accordingly to his vision to establish the first western theatre in Thailand. This place is regarded as one of the legends of historical Thai entertainment. Presently, there are Khons performing regularly here. The range of the ticket cost is around 800 – 1,200 baht. You can contact directly to http://www.salachalermkrung.com/ or 0-2222-0434, 02225-8757-8, 0-2623-8148-9 for more performance detail. To enjoy such a traditional Thai performance, a local Thai friend might be required since normally Khon will perform in Thai.
