Saturday 30 April 2011

KoninginneNach or QueensNight at Backstage.

29th of April, every year the Dutch start to celebrate their Queens official birthday this evening, culminating in a true people's party on the 30th of April, our Queen official birthday.
Comming from the region in Holand where we have a strong tradition of a real Queensnight, an evening you can easily compare with New Years Eve, only more or less the good weather is guaranteed, one can imagine how we Dutch sometimes can get real crazy celebrating....But happy to say, practically allways in a more then good atmosphere and with lots of fun and joy plus traditions.

Now, being far away from home, we Dutch tend to go on celebrating this typical Dutch national holliday...and so, now being in Thailand, we tried to celebrate at The Backstage as well...in a somewhat Thai way .... with cabaret, but also Dutch snacks (bitterballen en frikandellen) and our national anthem and a toast to the Dutch Queen at midnight...followed by a toast on the King of Thailand and on this special 29th of April, also on the newlyweds WIlliam and Kate (which was much appreciated by our Britisch and commonwealth friends here)!


Above: The Backstage is starting to get ready for its first celebration of Queensnight/KoninginneNach.

,

Right: The hosts of Koninginnnach or Queensday, Rob (right) en Kik (left), with our longstanding friend and customer, Egbert otherwise known as Peter in the middle!

By the way, it felt somewhat strange to me, to be wearing my original weddingsuit for the 1st time again since our weddingday in Holland on 08-10-08. But surprisingly it felt better eand less 'tight' to wear hahaha then on that O so special day. The shirt was made by WiWat Wis, the designer here in Patong with a more then excellent repetoir. We can easily recommend all of you who come to Patong to pay him a visit and see if he has made something of your liking. Most likely you will yourself succesfull;-)
But wearing our weddingsuits, though different from our weddingday, also felt good...it somehow felt appropriate for the festive occasion and by wearing ithese pink suits expressing our wish that we sincerily hope that our Queen will have a long and above all healthy live!



Left: Yourstruly together with Chris from The Dutch Inn.

The Dutch Inn is the Dutch bar/cafe off Bangla Road, with whom we have excellent contact. We were pleasantly surprised that he was able to make time to join us to celebrate Koninginnenach with us for at least a part of the evening/night. The next day we found him busy behind the BBQ at his own bar, when we paid him a return visit to celebrate Queensday or Koninginnedag at his location (by the way, that was and is the extra reason to celebrate Queensnight, so everybody who likes to celebrate doesn't have to choose between our places but can simply enjoy both parties!



Left: Kim enjoyed doing a pleasing dance and song number, and for the occasion was dressed up in Orange with even Orange feathers to go with his costume...a picture we wouldn't like you to miss out on.

In dayly life Kim works in the venue next to ours, Superboys.
Thats also the fun of our Backstage Cabaret... we discover more and more that friends of our bar, guests, like to join our cabaret when they have the chance to. And we are allways enthousiastic if they want to do one or more numbers because thats what Backstage is for as well...its a bar for ALL our customers and friends, to enjoy and use...so if we can we try to accomodate and sofar without any regrets! ;-)
O well,



Right: Bil performing a dramatic Thai song.

To the joy of our Thai friends and customers, as well as of us 'farang' or non-Thai, our Bil performed a dramatic Thai song in a most expresive way so that even we could understand and get why our Thai friends were so enthousiastic;-)! We discover that Bil is quite the actor when on stage... when he transforms from the modest/relative quiet guy when working in the Backstage into an outgoing, expressive personality.



Right: Rang also took the opportunity to get more stage experience.

During our 2d try-out he took part for the first time, and we then happily agreed to have him also in our Queensnight performance. His enthousiasm was wonderfull and he had fun to expres himself to all our enjoyement.


All in all our KoninginneNach or QueensNight went more then wonderfull. Not all the performers of the Backstage Cabaret have been mentioned above.... But all of them have been mentioned in earlier reports here on the weblog ;-)
We also discovered that our Schia enjoys to play the thecnician, taking care of the music...which went pretty well... we can expect him to do more of that! ;-)

To all mentioned above and the ones not mentioned, but without whose efforts the evening wouldn't have gone as well as it has been, we like to express our warm felt thanks for having given us a most memorable KoninginneNach/QueensNight!

Wednesday 27 April 2011

Friday 29th of April: QueensNight or "KoninginneNach"

When, if the reports are correct one third of the world, or 2 biljon people, are watching the William & Kate show from London, UK, the Dutch are preparing for or starting to celebrate The Dutch Queens official birthday on the 30th of April.
In the area in Holland were yours truly comes from though we have a tradition to celebrate elaboratly the night before...which has become 'worldfamous' in Holland as KoninginneNach, translated in english: QueensNIght.
Being from that region I introduced the QueensNight celebration for the first time on the 29th of April 2009. Then we celebrated it at our J&B Bar in Paradise. In 2010 we were still looking for a new location ergo no opportunity for a true celebration. But now we can celebrate again, at our Backstage!

Above: HM Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands.



THE BACKSTAGE
Presents
29th April “KoninginneNach”, or QueensNight !
celebrating the official birthday of Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands
with
The Backstage Cabaret,
& guest performances

From 10 pm till 2 am/late..
with 1st show starting around 10.30 pm

A toast on the Queen at midnight, followed by 2d show
We also will serve typical Dutch snacks!

Saturday 16 April 2011

Picture impression of Rin's birthdayparty at Backstage, 15/16 th of April 2011


This picture impression of Rin's birthday looks somewhat less then normally but they were made not only late at night but with iPhone ;-)
The order in which they are placed here is more or less backwards, lol.
It was truly a fun little cozy birthday party where our Backstage friends were free to be themselfs and one gets the honest impression that they indeed enjoyed.
Ofcourse, if one serfs onwards to our facebook page then one can see all the pictures......BUT for now and for a change I let the pictures talk for themselfs.
(and if you look for me, well I was holding the iPhone, so you do not waste your time to look for me;-) hehe)






The extra fun for our guests was in the fact that they were allowed to use our costumes which we collected over the time to be able to start our own little cabaret.... and mor eoften we allow our customers to do that...it enhances their fun, thats for sure ;-)

We hope Rin enjoyed his personal start of his New year and that we will be able and fortunate to enjoy his company for long time to come in good spirits and health! ;-)

Thursday 14 April 2011

1st TRY-OUT Backstage Cabaret pretty succesful! ;-)

If I/we have to believe our customers who were present at the first public try-out of the Backstage Cabaret, all of them were enthousiastic with the performances our Backstage staf put on our modest little stage.
Though the setting was simple, our public was truly enjoying the efforts put into the numbers which were brought on with the interpretation by our staf.
Even me, who stimulated the staf to do something like this, was pleasantly surprised... though several times customers and staf had to calm me down that everything would be okay (staf), or was more then okay (customers)!

Most appreciated was the honesty and real enthousiasm for what they were doing...simply it showed so clearly the fun the staf was having doing this!
Something, according to some, is nowadays missing so much in the cabarets of the more renowed cabaret bars here in (Paradise) Patong... even though they are much more elaborate, way bigger, etc. The sincerity and enthousiasm made up for shortcommings, which were there ofcourse...so normal for a first time ever;-)

End conclusion: I was proud, very proud on what the Backstage staf managed to bring on our little stage simply because this crazy Dutch farang thought it was finally time to start experimenting with Backstage's own Cabaret after such a long time talking about it...... simply doing is the best way to find out if we are any good at it....
It seems though, big sigh of relief, we are ;-)!!!

The 1st try-out started ofcourse, as seems to be a Thai tradition, way too late (making me nervous if anything at all would happen) while our Backstage was surprisingly filled with interested customers!
But then it started, in twou little rounds our staf brought in total 8 different numbers on stage and after our/my Kik brought a funny encore for those still present (but then he could only do something 'late' because he had to get down to Backstage from his work for Simon Cabaret first (but you'll miss his picture in here, haha) ;-)
.


In the end our little cabaret show was performed by 4 members of our staf: Max, Tom, Mos and Bil.
Though in the first round our Tom (Left: Tom together with Bil) suffered from stagefright and backed out at the last minute...when seeing his friends/co-workers do their numbers, he got over that fright and did his more traditional number with Bil in the second half


Above Right: Bil doing his first number. We can say that we look forward to see what else he has in store for us in the months to come to enjoy!


Left: Max bringing his first song with a well known and strong female number in a version unknown to our friends and customers, namely perfomred and sung by a man!
Like to thank Max because I so much wanted real male numbers included, and he delivered in a clever way!


Right: Mos surprised us all by putting on a wonderfull female number as kick off of the Backstage's Cabaret. Though in general a shy person, he made us all feel proud for his daring and courage by bringing this first number with an disarming charm ;-)



Above: from left to right: Max, Bil, Tom and Mos. Posing for a deserved thank you and applaus by our audiance for bringing our first ever Backstage Cabaret!

I truly hope we will be able to build on the enthousiasm of this first performance. The intention is to grow to a regular show once a week over the next months, with most likely all kinds of little improvements to make everything more easy/natural and most important... more relaxing haha, Will need that myself lol
BUT I'll definitly wil try my utmost to keep to the principal
Nobody has to do something, they are all free to do if they enjoy doing so.....

Uhum, allready one of our staf who didn't want to take part at first, now allready requested if he could do a number in the 2d try-out ..... and for all of you who managed to read this far, til this line here: that 2d try-out will take place, if I can help it, well before the 29th of April...because if possible I would enjoy our staf to become the backbone of our Queensnight celebration on the 29th of April! ;-)
We'll wait and see ;-)

O, and please feel free to place your positive critisism, we'll need all that input in trying to improve on this slipery way in the world of Thai cabaret ;-)

Thursday 7 April 2011

New Promotion for remainder of April + 1st try-out Backstage Cabaret

The Backstage Purple Meeting Point

"เสมือนบ้านหลังที่สองของคุณ" พร้อม free wifi และ บริการครบครันสำหรับปาร์ตี้แบบส่วนตัว, คาราโอเกะ,อาหาร,เครื่องดื่ม, เพื่อพบปะสังสรรค์หรือทำความรู้จักกับเพื่อนใหม่

Your home away from home, with free wifi and facilities for private party,
life music, karaoke, eating & drinking, coffee/tea, games, to meet/make new friends, to unwind and relax;-)

Opening hours from 5 pm - 2 am / late....

Special Introduction Discounts:
From 12th - 30th April
5:00pm – 8:00pm:
25% on all drinks

+

ตั้งแต่เที่ยงคืน ถึง ร้านปิด
ส่วนลด20% ทันทีที่เปิดเหล้าพร้อมมิกเซอร์ ฟรี !


Midnight - closing time
20% on all bottles (with free mixer!) while using our Karaoke!

&

11th April:
Between 8 and 9 pm & between 10 and 11 pm
1st Try-out Backstage Cabaret



If it will be something like below left, or more informal like here on the right, or something in between... we'll have to discover, find out....and thats what a try-out is ment to be for ;-)


The Backstage wishes you a wonderful Songkran'days
and a happy Thai New Year !

ชาว Backstage หวังอย่างยิ่งให้ทุกท่านมีความสุขในวันสงกรานต์
สุขสันต์วันปีใหม่ไทย