The Play
A puppet show begins with the appearance of Thagyar Min, the King of the Spirits (Nats). Then the medium (Natkadaw) pays tribute to the Buddha and the Nats, as seen in this picture. Then a number of characters come on stage representing the Creation of the World: the White Horse, the Monkey and the two Ogres, Zawgyi the magician, and Garuda, the mythical sun eagle, who fights with Naga, the mythical snake.
The Natkadaw dances for the Nats and offers them a coconut and bananas.
The White Horse, the first living being on earth, descends to earth, dancing around for a while, and goes back to heaven.
After that the Monkey appears, a somewhat jumpy but cheerful character. He dances around by himself, until the first Ogre appears, a fierce character.
After chasing the Monkey away, the two Ogres dance and fight with each other.
Zawgyi, the magician, roams through forests and over mountains, capering and singing as he goes, in search of medicinal plants and the fruits of the wishing tree, which he magically transforms into beautiful girls. On his wanderings he sings about the beauty of nature, as he searches constantly for the philosopher's stone. One touch of his magic wand and the stone will change everything into gold.
Garuda, the mythical sun eagle, and Naga, the mythical snake, are bitter enemies.
After the chaos of the Creation, order is represented by the Foundation of the Kingdom, with characters like the king and his wife, the prince and the princess, the ministers, the royal astrologer, a page and two clowns. The Page appears first, to make sure all is in good order for the arrival of the king and his entourage.
The King and his Ministers discuss affairs of state.
In the second part of the performance, a jataka is enacted, one of the 547 stories about the past lives of the Buddha. Each jataka symbolises a specific virtue such as honesty, wisdom, love of a son for his parents, etc. These stories feature kings, princes and princesses, hermits and wise men who undergo all kinds of adventures. A happy end is mandatory: virtue is rewarded and evil is punished. Jataka number 519 tells the story of King Brahmatta whose beloved son Sotthisena is afflicted with leprosy. The King decides to send him away. Sambula, Sotthisena's beautiful and virtuous wife, joins him in his exile in the forest, to take care of him.
While gathering wild fruit, she meets with an Ogre who falls in love with her and tries to seduce her.
She is rescued by Thagyar Min, the King of the Spirits, who chases the Ogre away. When Sambula returns to the Prince, he refuses to believe her story. She is very sad, because she loves him dearly and would never betray him. Finally, when he admits that she speaks the truth, he is cured.
The Prince and the Princess return to the court, where they live happily ever after…
