By CHRIS HAWKE
The Associated Press
BANGKOK, Thailand — More than 120 years after his death, German composer Richard Wagner makes his operatic debut in Southeast Asia with a performance of "Das Rheingold" that portrays a divine Eastern kingdom humbled by greed and Western culture.
With its themes of power and political corruption, the opera could have been crafted for modern-day Asia, said the show's Thai director, Somtow Sucharitkul. "It's all about how the gods become corrupted, so it fits.
"Maybe we'll end up getting arrested or sued for libel," he added, alluding to the frequent fate of government critics in this part of the world.
"Das Rheingold" — the prologue of the four-part "Ring" cycle — opened Sunday in Bangkok with an international cast and orchestra. And while none of the words or score has been changed, the production takes a Buddhist slant.
The theft of a golden ring, traditionally portrayed as a kind of Christian original sin, in Somtow's version launches the Buddhist cycle of karma, fueled by attachment or greed, that creates life and all its beautiful imperfections.
Onstage, this is represented by the transformation of a timeless monochromatic nirvana into a brashly colorful world of Western consumer goods.
In the first act, the singers wear Southeast Asian royal court costumes. By the time the curtain falls, they are wearing decadently Western attire; an Elvis-like golden jacket, a naughty-schoolgirl outfit and a Hawaiian shirt that would be right at home on a tourist in a red-light district in Bangkok.
Valhalla, the paradise that the chief god Wotan has sacrificed his soul to build, here is a modern Asian city.
The implications should be clear to the audience in Thailand, where thousands of people recently rallied to call for the ouster of the prime minister over allegations of corruption and abuse of power.
Somtow also drew a parallel between his Asian "Das Rheingold" and the opera's original premiere in Germany in 1869: The audience and performers for the most part are unfamiliar with the music.
"It's like turning the clock back 150 years," he said. "That's why it could be very exciting, despite imperfections."
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times CompanyMonday, February 6, 2006 - 12:00 AM