Life is a Cabaret

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Ok, well, I thought I was going to write about something very exotic today.  I even had the title written beforehand, L-O-L-A Lola...

We went to the "world famous" Simon Cabaret last night.  This is an extravigant, vegas-style (and Vegas quality) stage show.  The music caters to the visitors from around the world: Koreans, Indians, Middle-Easterners, Chinese and Japanese, and of course, Americans.  The dance numbers were extravigant and exellently executed.  The lip synching was the best I'd ever seen, and there were more feathers than a henhouse.  I could not take video, but there is a You-Tube video out there at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qel4U0nmQOI you must watrch it!

Lip-synching?  Why lip synching?  Because these performers, no matter what costume, all had a Y chromosme.

Everyone knows that Thiland has a famous subculture known locally as the Katoy.  These are the famous "lady-boys" of Thailand.  There is novelty in seeing a drag show of course, but the quality of this show is so superior that you soon forget all about gender-bending and get into the show for its entertainment value.  I think more than anything, I came out with a greater appreciation of the diversity and creativity of human beings from all cultures.  Make reservations, this show is packed for two performances nightly.

After dinner, we hobbled over to one of the bar and entertainment alleys.  Bars line both sides of the street, and people of all types wander up and down.  Street vendors sell everything from karaoke music to toys to hats to, well, themselves.  I did take a video of an imprompteu street performance which I will post later-- you will see a gaggle of male prostitues in the background in black tee shirts and white shorts, watching the performance.  This is all part of Thai nightlife, and while legitimate here, it is one of the unfortunate truths about econnomics in this part of the world.