A Clip From The Calypso Cabaret In Bangkok

By the numbers the first two posts about the Calypso Cabaret seem to be some sort of guilty pleasure for some, so why not indulge people's fantasies every so often? For those who'd rather look at men as men there are a number of additional dancers to the scene, and that ought to take some of the sting out of it for you.

The clip today is a little longer than many posted here (well, there is the night time motocy ride through the back streets of Pattaya clip), but still just a portion of one of the scenes in the show. Performances last right about an hour, and I was also taking the stills so didn't fool with the video very much.

Those looking for the first two photo posts can find them here: Part 1 - Part 2. Located beneath the lobby of the Asia Hotel the show has been a well-crafted and well-executed standard in Bangkok for many years.  There's more information about the location, address, show times and show link in Part 1.

Female impersonation doesn't do much for me, unless it's really done well, and then it's an entertaining illusion. Middle-aged to old(er) men doing drag to any degree leaves me totally cold - uncomfortable, really - as they lumber about in their over-done outfits, big hair back-brushed and sprayed to the point of being a fire danger and squeezed into their outfits; really looking more like over-sized spangled sausages than women.  It's grand fun in some clubs, I know, but...  well, I'm not on this earth to judge.

Years ago I had a Pacific Island man renting a room from me for a few months. He had a face that was borderline pretty to begin with, and with his skin tone and fit figure could effectively indulge in his habit of doing "high class drag", as I used to call it - and he did it very well.

He drank like a fish, though, and while he'd leave the house looking very much like Tina Turner in her "What's Love Got To Do With It" period it was more often than not that he'd arrive back home around 03:00, having misplaced his key and be knocking on the door to be let in.  When I'd stumble to the door and swing it open there would often be a similar version of Tina, but now looking as thought she'd been in a fight: torn fishnet stockings and wig at a strange angle.  It didn't last long.

Nevertheless, I'm not picking on those that find cabaret entertaining, and to prove it I'll post more photos another time down the line.  Those who absolutely can't stand it: you've been warned.

Cabaret At The Mall

It was busier than normal when I ducked into the Chareonsri (now Central) Shopping Mall in Udonthani one afternoon to escape what had become an especially merciless afternoon heat. I thought I'd just find a spot to sit and people watch until my core temperature got back within an acceptable range, but there were none to be found.

Glancing upward I could see it didn't appear to be all that busy on the upper floors, but there was a crowd gravitating toward some music coming from around a nearby corner on the ground floor that made it a bit of a challenge to get around so I shuffled slowly along with the herd, thinking I'd veer out of the crowd at some point and find myself something cool to drink. Before I'd reached the turn in the walkway the movement stopped completely as people began piling up in Standing Room Only formation behind a small sea of chairs facing a raised stage.

Less than five minutes later spotlights came on and began sweeping the stage area, some sort of brass fanfare heralding the start of the show. An announcer began speaking in Thai, joined every so often by a wave of applause from the crowd, now primed and ready for whatever it was that was about to happen. They knew, but I couldn't read the signage and, as I've shared before, my Thai is sadly lacking - especially when it comes to rapid-fire native speakers.

What I could make out was that this was a presentation by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and was evidently a promotional tour by a song-and-dance group, perhaps drumming up visitors for another area of the country. It made me think of some of the cabaret (good and bad) that I've seen in Thailand, but this was outside of a nightclub setting. To me it almost seemed a little out of place, but it didn't to the crowd: they cheered and applauded this free afternoon entertainment and seemed to enjoy every minute of it, as did I.

As the show ended the crowd dispersed and the staff and crew began dragging and stacking the plastic chairs off into one spot while a few of us stopped to say hello to the performers as they talked amongst themselves "backstage", apparently pleased with how the show had gone. Three of them were happy to pose for me when I asked, and that photo's up top.

More "Ladies" Of Calypso Cabaret

Although I can appreciate the illusion of a well done drag show - called cabaret in Thailand - I'm not the big fan of it many evidently are; the first "Ladies" of Calypso Cabaret post was popular with a lot of visitors here, and one I still receive requests on, asking if there are any more cabaret images.

The short answer is yes, and here are a half dozen or so more photos from the Calypso show. More information about seating, times, location and other details are available in Part 1.

Part of an extended show piece

This is about as risque as the shows at Calypso get

This same young man does a credible impression of Tina Turner, as I recall

Knowing their audience, there's a performance aimed specifically at the Korean, Japanese and Chinese tourists who attend the shows

The "Ladies" Of Calypso Cabaret

The boys of Calypso Cabaret, Bangkok

A form of magic is performed twice nightly in the Calypso Cabaret showroom below the lobby of the Asia Hotel, where for about an hour men perform musical numbers and set pieces on stage as women - and quite convincingly, too.

Most of you reading this have seen what's more commonly known in the West as "drag" done at one time or another - even if only done poorly at one Halloween party or another - but this is a polished and professional production that often surpasses your basic "illusion". Many of the performers have been in the show for a while - such as the Master of Ceremonies (below) who hosted the first performance I saw back in 2003 - but the magic of make-up continues to keep them looking beautiful.

There are a couple of other cabaret shows in Bangkok (Mambo and Star Vegas), with Mambo being the other big banana, so to speak. I've never seen either of the other shows, but have always been pleased with the production put on by the Calypso crew.

The showroom seats about 350 and shows are at 20:15 and 21:45. Tickets aren't cheap: their website currently shows "special prices" of Bt 900 ($30 USD) for adults, but it's a quality show that's never disappointed friends I've taken there. Children are welcome, and there's nothing in the show's content that would make it inappropriate for children. This isn't a strip show - it's an illusion.

There's a seating chart at the end of today's post, and you can make reservations online in advance - which is advisable, as it hosts tour groups of various stripes and it's best seen as close as you can be to the stage area. My performance photos today were taken from a table at the edge of the stage itself.

Notice the woman at the far right going for her camera as the cast waits for photos

Part of the show is actually after the lights have come up and the audience gathers their belongings to file out, when the lion's share of the staff is lined up along the side wall to the exit and make themselves available - for a tip - to pose with guests for photos. I enjoy the mixed reactions of male tourists there with their wives as said wives and girlfriends take a snapshot of their man with another man on either side of him, cooing into his ears. It's a hoot.

I have too many photos to put into one post here, so we'll revisit this another time - but now you've seen a snippet of the magic that is Calypso, and learned a new use for duct tape. Think about that one for a while, guys.

[There are more photos of the Calypso performers in the follow up post - HERE]

http://www.calypsocabaret.com/