SIAM Classic Bophut, an authentic Thai dance-drama dinner show, located at Fisherman's Village, is Samui's premier Thai dance-drama restaurant.

Every evening the talented actors/dancers perform traditional and contemporary Thai dances to the highest standards at this charming restaurant. During the show, appropriate Thai cuisine is served so that audience members are assured of the visuals, sounds, aromas and taste of Thai culture. It is the perfect family entertainment! Visitors and residents that appreciate learning and enjoying the essence of Thailand will be charmed and thrilled.

Siam Classic's evening of classic and contemporary Thai dance and entertainment is choreographed by several amazing individuals led by managing director Colin Guy Richmond and artistic director Jack Chatupol Chaipakdee.

Colin was born in Bristol, UK, in the 1960s and has extensive F & B training and over 14 years' experience in restaurant, bar and casino management with Holiday Inns of Canada, Ladbrokes and Star Cruises. Colin noted that he received great support from local authorities as their entertainment is well respected in imparting Thai culture to foreigners and educating children. In fact, he observed that children love the show and sit on the floor at the stage, enjoying the performances as they would with a circus!

After two years of staging this classic Thai expe-rience on Samui, Colin's hope is to see this "authentic Thai dance"take root on Samui and get introduced in Bangkok and other locales in Thailand as well as abroad. He believes Samui is the "tip of the iceberg"in sharing the Thai culture and heritage through extensive dance, drama and musical performances.

There is a wonderful synergy between Jack and the performers. He is highly respected, a professional dancer and choreographer, who graduated from Bundhit Dapatanasilpa Institute with an education degree in Thai drama. He performed as a full-time dancer at Thailand's premiere Classical Thai Dance restaurant in Silom Village.

Khun Jack has been involved in many special events including a "royal command performance at the Grand Palace for the King of Thailand and The King of Sweden; the "River of Kings"spectacular before Thai royalty; ASEAN Games opening ceremony in 1998; and private performances for Manchester Utd FC and Leeds Utd FC. He performs in National Theatre productions and has composed and written historical Thai epics and classical Sound & Light shows now being performed in Trang province. He has produced four videos and a concert tour for Thai pop stars Khun Itt and Khun Yin.

Traditional Thai theater consists of six dramatic forms–of these Khon is a formal masked dance-drama depicting scenes from the Ramakian and was originally performed only for the royal court. Lakhon is a general term covering several types of dance-drama (usually for non-royal occasions) as well as western theatre. Li-khe is a partly improvised, often bawdy folk play featuring dancing, comedy, melodrama and music. Manohra is the southern Thai equivalent of Li-khe, but based on a 2,000-year-old Indian story. Nang, or shadow play, is limited to southern Thailand. The sixth, Lakhon or Hun Luang, is a puppet theater.

In the performance Khon: Pursuit under the Ocean, King Rama orders the Monkey Army to build a road across the ocean to the island of Lanka. Nang Supan Macha, the daughter of the Giant King and Nang Pla (the Big Fish), try to prevent this by removing the building stones from the ocean floor. Hanuman, the monkey chief, is suspicious, dives into the ocean and sees Supan Macha. In this scene we see Hanuman pursue Supan Macha and eventually falls in love with her. In Thailand a performer is selected for only "one position"to play time and again. A role such as the monkey or the giant is selected for a performer, who plays this role throughout his career.

Being a Thai experience, there is a drum dance, "Raban Terterung, " which uses klong yau, or long drums, found in many forms of classical Thai music and often seen in marriage parades and Buddhist ceremonies, especially at the end of the rainy season when monks are presented with new saffron robes. The drums are accompanied by exquisitely dressed ladies dancing sensually to the rhythmic beat with members of the audience coming up on stage and joining in.

A guest-book comment from Westside Story lead star Dianne (who played Maria) from New York (the musical was staged in Bangkok on October 10-15), noted, "Loved the show! Food was great! I felt like a queen! Thank you so much!"

The evening of classic and contemporary Thai dance and entertainment is presented in a dinner show Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, 7:30 to 9 and in a late dinner show daily, 9:15 to 10:45. There is also the late-show special without dinner but which includes a drink with a modest cover charge.

Minibus pickup and return to your hotel anywhere on Koh Samui is available at Bt150 per person (three people or more at Bt100 per person). It's a pleasure meeting in the minibus Bill, a charming gentleman and childhood friend of Colin's. He will share his enthusiasm and entertain you with tidbits and history of what you are about to enjoy. For more information, contact Siam Classic Heritage Group Co. Ltd. at 077-430 065 / 07-1111646 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You may also visit www.samuiclassic.com.