VietNamNet Bridge - Nang Sita (Princess Sita) will be resurrected for a few special performances tomorrow through next Thursday in Ha Noi, 25 years after the play first impressed audiences.

Director Doan Hoang Giang

VietNamNet Bridge - Nang Sita (Princess Sita) will be resurrected for a few special performances tomorrow through next Thursday in Ha Noi, 25 years after the play first impressed audiences.

The traditional work, which will be redesigned and updated, will be performed by artists from the Ha Noi Cheo Theatre (traditional opera theatre) at the Friendship Cultural Palace.

Nang Sita is one of 100 works the group wants to rearrange for performances celebrating the capital’s millenary in 2010, said Trinh Thuy Mui, the theatre’s director

“The play will not disappoint theatre-lovers,” Mui said.

“We chose Nang Sita, because it was one of the works that made the name of Ha Noi Cheo Theatre. The cheo art now lacks interesting scenarios, so we decided to renew the play in order to satisfy the demand of audiences today,” she added.

“All the costumes for the play will be remade, because the old ones were damaged by time. We will also renew the stage decor with different materials. The play’s duration will also be reduced to two hours instead of three hours like before.”

Two veteran artists, Thu Huyen and Quoc Anh, will play the main roles of Sita and her husband Powliem, respectively, while a team of young artists will hold supporting roles.

The play tells the story of an unjust love affair of a beautiful girl whose faithfulness was doubted by her husband and how she was determined to prove herself and her love towards her husband.

“The biggest challenge in making the play is the pressure on us from the success of 25 years ago. It’s also an occasion for young actors to train to improve their skills,” Mui said.

“Cheo is a type of traditional theatre, but it must be updated to fit the development of the society; cheo must be able to transfer the message to audiences in the most suitable way while succeeding to preserve its quintessence.”

Breaking records

Twenty-five years ago, audiences filled the 1,000-seat Cong Nhan Theatre in Ha Noi every night of Nang Sita (Princess Sita) performances. From its first performances until the mid ’90s, the play attracted a record number of audiences. With thousands of performances, the theatre company brought Sita to most provinces and cities nationwide.

The play was arranged from the script by two authors, Luu Quang Thuan and his son, Luu Quang Vu.

In 1988, director Doan Hoang Giang’s play broke with tradition by using modern language in the traditional cheo opera. According to Giang, the play will now have a more traditional and classic flavour. “The message from the play has always been practical and can wake up people at any time. The bad exists permanently and sometimes lives longer than the good. If people cannot keep their beliefs, they will become blind and will be controlled by their crazy actions,” said Giang.

(Source: VNS)