The Lost Boy

Somtow's Mae Nak

Last week I caught Opera Siam's Thai ghost opera Mae Naak, composed by Somtow Sucharitkul. While I may not always rate Somtow as a political commentator, I thought his opera was really rather good. So who, or what, is Mae Nak? I'll rip this little snippet from Wikipedia:

According to tradition, the events happened during the reign of King Mongkut. The story is about a beautiful young woman named Mae Nak (literally "Miss Nak"), who lived by the Phra Khanong canal in Bangkok, and her husband, Mak.

With Nak pregnant, Mak is called off to war (in some versions of the story the war is against the Shan tribe, while others are not specific), and is severely injured. While he is being nursed in central Bangkok, both Nak and the child she is carrying die during childbirth. When Mak eventually returns home, however, he is cast under a spell and finds his loving wife and his new child waiting for him and nothing wrong. Neighbors, who try to tell Mak of the death of his wife and to warn him that he is living with ghost, meet with grisly ends.

Grisly indeed. In one scene, a randy butcher tries his luck with Mae Nak, only to have his arms and head ripped off. In another Mae Nak leads a woman offstage by her intestines. The orchestra did a fine job of setting the mood as Mae Nak went on the rampage only to meet her match in the form of a monk.

Mae Nak by Bangkok Opera

This was the first time I'd ever been to an opera, but I really enjoyed it. At two-and-three-quarter hours, including the intervals, it seemed to be just about the right length and the crowd was appreciative of the show. The theatre was about 80 percent full and I'd say more than half of those in attendance were actually Thai. This was also the first time an opera composed by a Thai had been performed in Europe, so it felt as if we were witnessing a little bit of history.

Hats off to Somtow for bringing Mae Nak to the UK.

Photo from Somtow's blog.