Likay

Likay (Thai: ลิเก pronounced [líʔ.kēː], RTGS: like; Jawi script: جيكيي‎; Khmer: យីកេ [ˈjiːkeː]), is a form of folk opera popular in Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia. It emerged in the late 19th century and is generally believed to have originated in the Malay-inhabited regions of Southern Thailand. Its uniqueness is found in the combination of extravagant costumes with barely equipped stages and vaguely determined storylines, so that the performances depend mainly on the actors' skills of improvisation and the audiences' imagination.