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We all know the Ramakian. The battles, the ten-headed demon, that monkey army marching across the sea. But how often do we watch the whole saga unfold through the eyes of the woman at its centre? This year, the SUPPORT Foundation hands us that chance.
Its grand annual Khon spectacle returns to the Main Hall, Thailand Cultural Centre, running November 5 to December 10. Drawn from King Rama I's royal composition, Ramakian: 'Sita' follows a woman born of pure heart, whose beauty and love spark the great war of the epic before her life turns to separation, long waiting and the delicate task of proving her innocence through faithfulness and loyalty.
It's a love story, yes, though a bruising one, beautiful and painful at once, carrying an ache that plain words can't quite reach. In performance, all of this arrives through masked dancers, live narration and the slow, hypnotic precision that makes Khon unlike anything else you can see on a Bangkok stage.
Here's the thing, though. Khon is never only the drama on stage. Behind the grandeur sits a vast body of Thai craftsmanship, lovingly preserved and handed down across the generations – the hand-built sets and props, the stage decorations, the fearsome masks and those gilded, intricately stitched costumes. Just as vital, the organisers carve out room for young artists to learn these skills and carry them on, so a centuries-old art keeps breathing rather than gathering dust.
Ramakian: 'Sita' plays the Main Hall, Thailand Cultural Centre, from November 5 to December 10.
Tickets go on sale from August 12 at Thaiticket Major, priced at B2,000, B1,800, B1,000, B800 and B600. Seats for the student performances are B200 (in person only).