Ayodhya (opera)

Ayodhya is an opera by Somtow Sucharitkul. It premiered on November 16, 2006 at the Thailand Cultural Center in Bangkok, in a production directed by Dutch director Hans Nieuwenhuis and featuring Michael Chance as Ganesha, Nancy Yuen as Sita, Charles Hens as Rama, and John Ames as Ravan. The libretto is a distillation of the entire Ramayana epic into a single evening.

The Bangkok Opera's 2006 production of Ayodhya with Michael Chance as Ganesha.

The opera was composed as a special tribute to the King of Thailand as part of the nationwide celebration of the King's Sixtieth Regnal Year. However, the opening was marred by a censorship debate which was widely discussed in the international press. ^[1]