The best Thai musical you’ve never heard of – Fah Jarod Sai

Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical is now playing with English subtitles in Bangkok!

What do you get when you combine a violent coup, a life-threatening love triangle, an arduous desert Odyssey, and an epic romance?

Thailand’s smash-hit musical, Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical — now playing with English subtitles at Muangthai Rachadalai Theatre, Bangkok!

For all you theatre lovers out there — this one is for you! Even if you don’t consider yourself a theatre connoisseur, this is one show that you don’t want to miss. Is a production iconic enough to light a fire under the world of Thai theatre, spawning a new wave of theatre fans and prompting a bit of a cultural reset? Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical (Where the Sky Meets the Sand: The Musical) is truly one for the history books.

Featuring an exclusive interview with the show’s producer — below!

Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical (Where the Sky Meets the Sand: The Musical)

Need-to-know:

• Dates: Now playing until 15 December 2024
• Language: Thai, with English subtitles screened during the show
• Showtimes: Wednesday – Friday: 7.30pm, Saturday: 2pm and 7.30pm, Sunday: 2pm and 7pm
• Location: Muangthai Rachadalai Theatre, inside Esplanade Ratchadaphisek (MRT Thailand Cultural Centre)
• Caution: gunshots, death, implied sexual content
• Tickets: thaiticketmajor.com

Tickets are still available for Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical — now playing with English subtitles in Bangkok!

The seminal Thai production that demands to be seen, Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical is sure to convert even the staunchest of Thai theatre sceptics. But first…

What even is Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical?

Adapted from the iconic romance novel of the same name by Sophak Suwan, Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical is a classic Thai love story set amidst the scorching sands of the Hilfara desert. It chronicles the tale of Michelle, a mixed-race orphan girl who newly arrived from France, and Sharif, a royal guardsman and physician to the king.

First published in 1974, Fah Jarod Sai absolutely rocked the Thai cultural landscape and became a national sensation seemingly overnight. It is truly one of the most beloved stories in recent Thai memory (speaking personally, my mother is absolutely obsessed).

While numerous adaptations have been attempted, none have achieved anywhere close to the success of the original novel, and have often fallen short of the fans’ (admittedly very high) standards.

That is, until now. People, when I tell you that this is truly the perfect storm of a production, I mean it. I’ll explain in a second, but first, let me tell you what the story is about.

What is Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical about?

Fah Jarod Sai follows the story of Michelle, a mixed-race girl arriving in the Middle-Eastern city of Hilfara from France to open a girls’ school with her friend, Kashfiya. Kashfiya is in love with Robert, another one of their friends from France, but her father disapproves of him so she recruits Michelle to act as a middleman for their interactions.

Over time, Robert falls for Michelle and renounces his love for Kashfiya (yikes). When Kashfiya secretly discovers them together, she enacts a plan to carry out her revenge. Hurt and betrayed, Kashfiya tricks Michelle into going to the royal palace as a concubine in her place.

Now, things are about to get bad for our girl Michelle. Her identity is discovered, and the king’s evil brother Oman is about to kill her when she is saved by Sharif, the king’s personal doctor and head of the royal guardsmen (yes, ladies, he really can do it all). Now, this man — hm. Keep an eye out for further developments.

Thankfully, King Ahmed is kind and generous, and he spares Michelle’s life. Plus, since there is a prophecy foretelling of a foreign woman coming to bear a son and heir to the throne, King Ahmed asks her to be his wife. Score.

Unfortunately, right before the wedding, evil brother Oman instigates a coup, killing King Ahmed and plunging the nation of Hilfara into chaos. The palace is in flames. People are being shot in the street. It’s absolute scenes everywhere.

In the midst of the kerfuffle, Michelle and Sharif find one another and escape into the desert together. Under the sweltering sun, they have to overcome their distrust of each other in order to survive…

And we’re not even a third of the way through, people. To find out what happens, you’ll just have to go see it!

Behind-the-scenes

In addition to being one of the most beloved stories in Thai culture, this production also has an incredible behind-the-scenes saga that has allowed it to become one of the biggest smash-hits in Thai theatre history.

Let me explain.

First, we have the director. This production of Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical was directed by Thailand’s most well-known theatre director, Khun ‘Boy’ Takonkiet Viravan, who has produced numerous stage shows including Thailand’s first English-language musical Waterfalls in 2023. He is also the CEO of The One Enterprise Co Ltd and director of the digital TV channel One31.

Basically, he is famous-famous, and for good reason — ambitious and talented, he is not afraid to dream big, or to work to make those dreams a reality. That said, even he could not have dreamt of this next development.

Nadech Kugimiya

When it was announced that Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical would be going into production, Thai television star and categorical darling of the public, Nadech Kugimiya — star of numerous well-loved rom-coms alongside his real-life partner, Urassaya ‘Yaya’ Sperbund — expressed his interest in the role of Sharif.

Absolute insanity erupts in the theatre world. Nadech and Yaya (the beautiful woman from the OPPO AI posters in the MRT stations) are the Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively of Thailand. Both talented and humble, Nadech is not only one of the country’s most in-demand actors but has also garnered the love and support of the public through his modest demeanour and kindhearted manner. Plus, you know — take a look at him.

Nuengthida ‘Noona’ Sophon

Next, we have another beloved Thai television star — Nuengthida ‘Noona’ Sophon. Known for her heroine roles in a range of TV shows and movies, she had yet to play a villain in any of her projects but desperately wanted the role of Kashfiya (the villainess). While Khun Boy was sceptical at first given her inexperience in evilness, she called him up herself to plead her case. After he saw her audition, he knew that she was the right choice.

And thank goodness for that — full disclosure, Noona as Kashfiya is my absolute favourite of the show. She completely demolishes her role as the woman scorned and the friend betrayed, and boy, does she have a set of pipes on her, too.

@kowrammasoot แค้นแบบจิตต..คิดละก็ยิ้มดีใจที่จะแก้แค้นมิเชล…สะดุ้งจริงงงง😱😱😱🔥🔥🔥#แคชฟียา #หนูนา #หนูนาหนึ่งธิดา #noona #noonanuengthida #ฟ้าจรดทราย #ฟ้าจรดทรายเดอะมิวสิคัล2024 #ฟ้าจรดทรายเดอะมิวสิคัล #แค้น ♬ เสียงต้นฉบับ – Kow

Why you should go see Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical

Honestly, I think it’s easier to list the reasons why you shouldn’t go see the show, which is none. In all seriousness though, for all you theatre lovers who often wish that the Bangkok professional theatre scene were a bit more sprightly — something my friends from Bangkok Community Theatre and I often did! — this is the perfect opportunity to catch a world-class musical that is such a significant and vibrant part of modern Thai culture.

English subtitles are displayed on screens to the side of the stage, and the translations are accurate, timely, and spirited — so don’t let this be the reason you give this one a miss!

The buzz around this show also results in a very lively audience (not something you usually see in Thai theatre!), which in turn makes for such a fun theatre-going experience that is so specific to Thailand. People truly love it, and that kind of enthusiasm can be infectious.

@sirimartkhamsree น้องคนนี้แสดงแทน เก่ง ธชย ค่ะ คือใครไม่รู้ แต่เก่งมากกกก #ฟ้าจรดทรายเดอะมิวสิคัล2024 ♬ เสียงต้นฉบับ – sirimartkhamsree

Personally, I think it is so inspiring to see so many people excited about a piece of Thai musical theatre, an industry that traditionally does not get a lot of butts in seats in this town. It really feels like, with this production, the tide is starting to turn — and maybe the world of Thai theatre is something the rest of the world should keep an eye on!

Insider tip: if you can, try to get seats on the left side of the theatre (stage right). Trust me, you’ll thank me…

And now, for an exclusive interview with the show’s producer, Pi Sao Noi!

Interview with Producer Pi Sao Noi

Pi Sao Noi, the producer of Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical, sat down to discuss the show and its popularity, and also take us behind the scenes of its all-star cast.

What was the most difficult scene to stage?

“The opening had to be the most difficult, for sure! Both creatively and in terms of functionality, the opening is the most difficult thing to get right. You have to hook the audience right from the start, drawing them into the world of Hilfara and its vast, sprawling deserts. We have to become immersed in the story and setting as soon as the curtain rises, which is a difficult thing to do. In this show, we start in the desert. The costumes, the choreography, the slow build of the opening song into a grand finish — it all culminates in an opening scene that is captivating, exciting, and really sets the stage for the story yet to come. That wasn’t easy!”

What is your favourite moment in the show?

“Oh, that’s hard to say — as a viewer or as a producer? As a viewer, I love Nadech’s first song about his love for his homeland and his duty to his king and country. It’s so powerful, no matter how many times I see it — I’m getting goosebumps just talking about it!

“As a producer, one of the scenes our team is most proud of is near the end of Act I, when the city is going up in flames and our characters are about to embark into the desert. There are two very, very quick changes for Sharif and Michelle in between this scene and the next (their first desert scene). Their entire costumes have to be swapped out for their desert clothes, and Michelle’s hair has to be swept up into her head covering. Sharif’s costume is especially tricky due to his military garb, which includes these clunky boots and a lot of ornamental insignia like his cape and sash.

“It’s super quick (no more than 15 seconds!), and the actors and crew have to be super precise. We wanted to create a bit of “theatre magic” with this scene so that the audience is really blown away by the seemingly impossible change. “

Why do you think people love this show so much?

“Well, I don’t think we can discount the obvious — Nadech, of course! He really brings something special to the role of Sharif. Nadech has this ability to tell a story onstage, both through his singing and his acting, and it is such a joy to watch. He trained really hard for the role, you know, working with musical theatre vocal coaches for months on end in addition to rehearsals with the cast. The production design and choreography are also top-notch — I would say Broadway standard — and the chemistry between the main actors is palpable. Plus, the ensemble cast is just incredible.

“As a producer, this is the best ensemble cast I have seen in my career. They are all such talented performers, and they really help elevate the show. This is our first real show since Covid, and I think the response to this production really shows how much people have missed the theatre. Everyone who comes to see the show wants to see it again, and you can really see how much everyone loves it.”

How has it been working with such a talented cast?

“Honestly, it has been great. When you have such a talented cast, it makes everything on the production side of the show feel lighter, and less stressful. A cast with this much ability, and who care so deeply about the work that they’re doing — it makes everything less tiring and more fun. Plus, you never know when you might run into Nadech in rehearsals — so that’s always exciting!

“Everyone is just happy to be here. Even the big-name stars like Nadech. He loves musical theatre, and we at Rachadalai would always hear about him coming to our shows. He has seen almost all of our previous productions, and so when we were looking around for a Sharif… you know, we’ve wanted to put on Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical for a long time before this, but we could never find the right Sharif. So this time around, since we knew that Nadech loved musical theatre, we reached out to him on the off-chance.

“He was so excited and honoured. He’s wanted to do a musical for a long time but was nervous about not living up to everyone’s expectations and the standard of his co-stars. When he found out that Pi Kamm was going to play Michelle, he screamed! He was so excited to be working with her, but nervous too, as she is a powerhouse of Thai musical theatre. No one could have anticipated how great he is on stage and in this role in particular. It really was perfect timing, and of course a lot of dedication from the cast as well.”

Why do you think people should come to see Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical?

“I think every element of the show comes together to make for such a great experience, and one that everyone should come see! We are having our 60th show on Sunday. Actually, we were originally going to have 50 shows for this run, but we increased that to 82 shows because people love it so much. You can come watch the number one star of Thai TV (Nadech) and the number one star of Thai musical theatre (Kamm), both in one show!”

With that being said, be sure to catch the best musical in Bangkok, Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical, playing now with English subtitles at Muangthai Rachadalai Theatre!

Song Spotlight: ไร้พันธนาการ (No Walls)

Original lyrics by Vicien Tuntipimonpun (วิเชียร ตันติพิมลพันธ์), translated by Aina Rita Swartz

Fah Jarod Sai: The Musical is now playing with English subtitles at Muangthai Rachadalai Theatre, Bangkok!