Thu Anh 

HCM CITY — Young artists from the HCM City Tuồng Theatre will perform a new experimental play set in the third century BC at the National Tuồng and Traditional Theatre Festival that will start tomorrow.

The play, performed by members of the HCM City Tuồng Theatre troupe, will feature tuồng or hat boi (classical drama), a unique Vietnamese art that developed from a folk art into a royal art in the 17th century. 

The new experimental play, titled Chiếc Áo Thien Nga (Swan Coast), is written by Le Duy Hạnh and Hữu Danh. 

It deals with patriotism, honesty, love and betrayal based on depictions in Vietnamese folk stories. 

The play is set during the reign of King An Dương Vương, founder of the Âu Lạc Kingdom in the third century BC. 

King Vương uses a magic crossbow to protect his kingdom, Âu Lạc, from invaders. His only daughter, Princess Mỵ Chau, falls in love with Trọng Thủy, a son of Trieu Đa, the lord of a rival state that borders Âu Lạc in the north.

After their wedding, Chau tells Thủy the secret and method of using her father’s magic crossbow. Thủy informs his father how King Vương protects his kingdom. Âu Lạc is attacked and defeated.

King Vương kills Chau for her betrayal before killing himself. 

"The tale of Mỵ Chau and Trọng Thủy has been being staged by many theatres with different genres of art such as tuồng, cheo (traditional opera) and cải lương (reformed theatre),” said the play’s director Đong Hồ. 

“In our version, the artists will offer a unique style of tuồng combined with new concepts in structure, conversation and directing style.

“We hope that young audiences will learn about Viet Nam’s history, culture and lifestyle from the play,” he said. 

Director Hồ uses young talents Ngọc Giau as Princess Mỵ Chau and Bảo Chau as Trọng Thủy; as well as a chamber orchestra of traditional musicians.  

Tuồng song, dance and music is highly stylised and filled with symbolism. 

Artists wear heavy costumes and use their body, from the fingers to the elbows to all of the muscles as they sing and dance at the same time 

The 2022 National Tuồng and Traditional Theatre Festival in being held in the central province of Nghe An. It is organised by the Performing Arts Department under Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. 

The 12-day event will be a chance for actors, particularly young talents, to perform and share skills and experiences, and expand their repertoire, organisers said.

It will feature more than 250 artists from State-owned and private theatres and troupes in Ha Noi, HCM City and provinces of Đa Nẵng, Quảng Nam, Huế, Khanh Hòa, Bình Định, Thanh Hóa and Ha Tĩnh. — VNS