Brecht in Asia and Africa 
 
 
original music of Kurt Weill being retained, came off rather tame. So was

the acting on the whole, for the cast, consisting of well-bred university

students and distinguished members of the "haute bourgeoisie,"
could 
not assume the roles of pimps, prostitutes, beggars and robbers with 
much conviction. This was where an amateur theater stood at a 
disadvantage. The sympathy for Brecht was there; his social message 
was highly relevant; but the right kind of vehicle to carry that message

could not be found. Some members of the audience could enjoy only the 
delightful pageantry and the exquisite costumes. 
     Perhaps the original Brecht-image transmitted through Die 
Ausnahme und die Regel had never been totally obliterated, and it was 
difficult for serious minded theatergoers to stomach what they found to 
be a wayward piece like Die Dreigroschenoper, for some might even 
think that Brecht's serious message should be delivered through an 
equally serious vehicle: after all, not very serious tidings did come out

of Der gute Mensch von Sezuan either. In this respect, their 
subsequent encounter with Leben des Galilei was an eye-opener. The 
play was performed by an amateur group called "Troupe '28" (28
being 
the founding year B.E. 2528 or A.D. 1985) in November-December 1985. 
Coming out of one of the performances, I was approached by a 
colleague, an ardent theatergoer, with the following question: "Since

you teach German literature, can you tell me to what extent the original

text has been re-written so as to make the piece relevant to the Thai 
context? The parallels with the contemporary Thai scene are so striking 
as to make me suspicious." I had to reply that this was just a 
straightforward reading of the original, and whatever be its merits or 
demerits, the confidence in the Brechtian text was not to be questioned.

Some German members of the audience (who could not understand 
Thai), familiar with more daring interpretations of the Steins or the 
Peymanns, went away at half-time complaining that it was too prosaic 
and pedestrian, whereas those who understood Thai stayed on till the 
end and said they enjoyed it tremendously. One important point should 
be noted in this connection: It is the Brechtian text that first and 
foremost communicates with the Thai audience. Besides, the Thai 
language is an adequate instrument to carry the Brechtian message. 
     This production of Leben des Galilei, which turned out to be a box-

 office success, offers a number of points that merit our attention. First,

 this was amateur theater, a Galilei without a star-studded cast, 
 although it was reported that the audition was stringent and the 
 rehearsals were thorough. The role of Galilei was played by an architect

 who had not acted on the stage before and had neither a commanding 
 personality nor a commanding voice. It was a low-key performance 
 which was in accord with the overall interpretation that could be 
 described as "unheroic." The key to this rendering was Galilei's
remark 
 "Ungl~cklich das Land, das Helden nbtig hat",4 which figured 
 prominently on the posters! The Thai public, of course, could not help 
 thinking of their current political leadership whose resilience, and 
 remarkable art of survival bore a striking resemblance to Brecht's 
 creation. 
 
 
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