Minh Thuan (kneeling) and Cam Ly star as Diep and Lan, the protagonists in the tragic cai luong love story Chuyen tinh Lan va Diep

A special southern folk opera performance at Ho Chi Minh City’s Ben Thanh Theater last week, left audiences surprised and delighted.

Chuyen tinh Lan va Diep (Lan and Diep’s Love Story) is the tragic tale of a young love-struck couple produced by renowned local singer Minh Thuan’s Cay va Dat Company and heralded for its innovation and creativity.

The cai luong (traditional southern folk opera) performance, held from October 17-18 in the southern hub, attracted much public attention for breaking away from old standards and essentially reinventing itself.

Instead of relying on traditional opera singers, the show employed several famous local pop singers from HCMC including Thuan, Thu Minh, Cam Ly and Dam Vinh Hung. Many had never sung cai luong before but the infusion of originality brought by the youthful artists was welcomed by audience members.

“The singers practice hard for six months and cooperated seamlessly,” said the play’s director Meritorious Artist Hoa Ha.

“Many of them injected strong feelings into their roles,” Ha added.

She said she’s glad that today’s young artists have begun to pay attention to the traditional art of cai luong.

“But I was worried whether Thuan’s [production company] could assemble the singers as planned and if they could sing the style correctly and act well or not,” Ha said.

“But my worries disappeared altogether as soon as I saw them practice,” she added.

Thuan said the play was born out of his passion for cai luong which began as a child.

“I sang contemporary songs in Ha’s other plays, Kim Van Kieu and Chiec ao thien nga (The Swan Gown), which reinforced my interest in the art,” Thuan said.

“Many singers adore cai luong, so the idea of gathering [contemporary] singers for a cai luong play came naturally to me,” he said. “[The production company] made a risky yet wise decision. This performance is a blend of a cai luong play and a musical, so I didn’t feel too much stress about the pop singers’ skills.”

Cai luong, which means renovated theater, has always been receptive to reform.

“Thuan and his colleagues’ youthful, passionate performance breathed new life into the play,” said Ha. “It also added novelty and originality to cai luong in general.”

The play, adapted from the 1933 novel Tat lua long (Extinguishing the Fire of Heart) by celebrated author Nguyen Cong Hoan, revolves around a young couple who are passionately in love but meet a tragic end.

The story tells the tale of a poor student named Diep who is tricked into marrying Thuy Lieu, the sharp-tongued, shrewish daughter of a provincial Chinese man.

Diep’s former fiancée, Lan, is heartbroken and becomes a Buddhist nun.

The young student goes searching for Lan at a pagoda and the two say a moving farewell just moments before Lan passes away.

There have been several adaptations of the love story over the years – performed by famous actors and cai luong artists – but this was the first-ever play performed by pop singers.

The play thus served a diverse audience, targeting youths as well as older generations. “Their acting may not be as skillful as professional cai luong artists, but they sang from their heart and won rapturous applause from the audience,” Ha said.

As well, Thuan won high acclaim for playing Diep.

Cam Ly, known for her deft ability to perform folk songs in addition to pop, won high praise for her portrayal of Lan.

Pop favorite Thu Minh’s role of Thuy Lieu also struck a chord with audiences though she didn’t perform some of the more technically difficult parts of the play.

“Several singers wanted to join the performance, so we decided to turn it into a cai luong play-musical so that other singers could join by performing contemporary songs which blend folk elements into the play,” Ha said.

“I was busy shooting a film, but I was fascinated by the idea, so I arranged my schedule to join the play,” said pop sensation Phuong Thanh, who sang and played Lan in some scenes.

“Some think that the singers joined the play just to improve their image, but they didn’t,” Ha said. “The play is actually a serious, worthwhile endeavor in which singers express their love for cai luong.”

The play has also set many Vietnamese records.

The Cay va Dat production company is the first in the country to produce a cai luong play featuring such a large cast, while Hoa Ha is the first director to preside over such a play.

Thuan and Ly are the first singers to take leading roles in such a play.

Chuyen tinh Lan va Diep cost VND1 billion (US$59,000) to produce, while Ha’s other plays, Kim Van Kieu (adapted from Nguyen Du’s famous Tale of Kieu) and Chiec ao thien nga cost around VND2 billion.

Reported by Diem Thu