Two leading theatres are working on a well known play as a specialgesture to commemorate the 25th death anniversary of the lateplaywright Luu Quang Vu.
Hon Truong Ba Da hang Thit (TruongBa’s Soul in a Butcher’s Body) will be performed by the Vietnam DramaTheatre and Youth Theatre at a festival in Hanoi next month to mark theoccasion.
The Vietnam Drama Theatre is rehearsing the playunder director Tu Mai while the Youth Theatre’s director Lan Huong isstaging the work, written by Vu in 1981, in an experimental manner.
The playwright gives the classic Vietnamese story a contemporarytwist, which has become a modern classic of Vietnamese theatre.
The play was first performed by the Vietnam Stage Theatre in the 1990sunder the direction of Nguyen Dinh Nghi. The production earned a goldmedal at the National Stage Festival.
It was also the firstVietnamese theatre production to debut at the Moscow InternationalTheatre Festival, and was later staged in the US.
Director TuMai and the actors are committed to exploring their new roles, but arealso worried because of the success of the original play.
Lan Huong wants to introduce an experimental stage production to audiences who have seen the play before.
Huong uses traditional dance from tuong (classical drama) in the new version.
The Youth Theatre will also rework another of Vu’s plays, Mua Ha CuoiCung (the Last Summer). The play was warmly welcomed by audiences andcritics due to its educational theme at the time.
The play will be directed by Chi Trung who played the main role in the original version.
The festival will be held in August by the Vietnam Stage ArtistsAssociation in collaboration with the Hanoi Cheo Theatre (traditionalopera), Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theatre (reformed opera) and Hai PhongCheo Theatre.
A seminar on the life and achievements of Vu willbe held at the festival, according to Le Tien Tho, chairman of theVietnam Stage Artists Association.
Vu (1948-1988) was one ofthe most famous and talented Vietnamese playwrights. He wrote more than50 plays, many of which are regarded as masterpieces.
Duringthe time before the renewal period which began in mid-1980, thesecompositions had a great influence on Vietnamese people for theirprofound values.
He is also well-known as a great poet, withmost of his work focusing on romantic and real themes. He was killed ina traffic accident along with his wife and their son when he was just40 years old.-VNA