Likay

Snippet from a likay performance at Wat Khung Taphao, Uttaradit Province

Likay (Thai: ลิเก, RTGSlike, pronounced [líʔ.kēː]) is a form of popular folk theatre from Central Thailand (not in Bangkok, where Teochew opera are folk theatre.[citation needed]). Its uniqueness is found in the combination of extravagant costumes with barely equipped stages and vaguely determined storylines, so that the performances depend mainly on the actors' skills of improvisation and the audiences' imagination.[1][2]

  1. ^ http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1951/JSS_039_1d_Smithies_LikayOriginFormAndFutureOfSiameseFolkOpera.pdf[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ Sukphisit, Suthon (1995). The vanishing of Thailand: Folk Arts and Folk Culture.