Among all the stagings of khon in Thailand, the annual Royal Khon has been deemed the best, praised for how it has mastered all the arts involved in the performance, not to mention how it utilizes extravagant set design and modern lighting techniques. But putting on a performance is so costly that it’s only staged once a year and runs for a couple of months.
This year, the Royal Khon returns with the episode on Sakot Thap, which narrates the part when an underworld demon named Maiyarap casts a sleeping spell on Rama's army, kidnaps the hero, and takes him to the underworld. Hanuman, the monkey warrior, then takes an adventurous journey to the underworld to rescue Rama, his master.
You can watch the Royal Khon performance at Thailand Cultural Centre from Wednesday to Sunday until 5 December. Tickets are priced from B600 to B1,800.
