Transgender performers at one of Thailand’s most famous cabaret shows have returned to the spotlight for the first time in about three years after being forced to find other ways to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic.
One performer, Peerapong “Bee” Butakul, said she had turned to selling chicken rice during this time and was thrilled to return to the stage this week.
Alisa Phanthusak, chief executive of Tiffany’s Show Pattaya, said most bookings at the moment were from locals, which meant fewer shows had been lined up than in the past.
Tiffany’s show theatre has been attracting and entertaining visitors from around the world since 1974. Tiffany’s Show started out as a small bar in Pattaya.
The first show was created just for a birthday party by Suparb Sangkumchoo but the vision turned into a spectacular reality when Vichai Lertritraugsin saw the potential and promoted it as the first transgender cabaret show in Thailand. When word of mouth spread, lots of tourists came to see the show night after nights until the bar’s capacity could not cope with more guests.
It was when Sutham Phanthusak joined in making Tiffany’s Show a cabaret theatre with 500 seat capacity and being able to serve tourists from around the world.
Deriving from a bar, Tiffany’s Show Pattaya became the World’s First Cabaret Theatre creating famous shows e.g. Mirror Mirror, First Be, Big Spender, Coming to America, The Last Emperor and many more. Sutham Phanthusak envisioned that the shows could draw international audiences.
The cabarets are normally a popular draw among foreign visitors, but Thailand’s tourism sector is still recovering. Foreign arrivals plummeted to 428,000 last year due to the pandemic compared with nearly 40 million in 2019. (Reuters)