VietNamNet Bridge - Tuong is one of Vietnam’s most refined and complex forms of dramatic theatre, but it holds less appeal for tourists than water puppetry.

During a tuong performance at Hong Ha Theatre, James Smith holds his camera as steadily as he can. Judging by the expression on his face he seems rivetted by the performance even though he can’t understand a word the actors are saying.

James explains that he finds the actor’s make up and costumes strangely fascinating. He stands up and starts walking towards the stage, through the rows of chairs, keeping the camera rolling. There are no complaints from other members of the audience as James is careful not to stand in front of the other 10 people sitting in the 440-seat theatre.

This cluster of spectators, all tourists, is outnumbered by the artists, directors, stage hands and sound technicians producing the show. But despite the modest audience on stage an actress is giving it absolutely everything as the character she plays descends into madness.

The performance is called Nguyet Co Hoa Cao (Nguyet Co turned into a Fox). It tells the story of a beautiful girl, Nguyet Co, who was by nature a fox. She spends thousands of years trying to become human and eventually succeeds thanks to a valuable gem, which gives her peerless strength and powers of sorcery.

She ends up in a fight with a young general, named Tiet Giao. She overcomes the young general but she is moved by his bravery and his handsomeness has not gone unnoticed. She falls for him and recognising a chink in Nguyet Co’s armour, the young general pretends to love her back.

Then one day when Nguyet Co is out, Tiet Giao finds her magic gem and runs away with it. Minus the gem, Co slowly starts to turn back into a fox. It is a powerful tragedy indeed. As the performance ends, James offers a one-man standing ovation. He applauds enthusiastically and shakes his head. How can this show attracts so few people? Since early this year, National Tuong Theatre of Vietnam has held regular tuong performances at Hong Ha theatre every Wednesday and Thursday, from 5pm. On average there are 15 to 20 people in the audience.

Tuong, also called Hat Boi in the south, first appeared in Vietnam more than five hundred years ag, when Vietnamese performers adopted traditional Chinese techniques to create their own style of drama. Hoang Van Khiem, the director of Vietnam National Tuong Theatre, says that tuong performances are highly stylised and symbolic. Settings and actions are suggested rather than portrayed.

Therefore, an audience needs a general understanding of tuong to enjoy the performance. “For example, a fight between two actors represents a battle involving thousands of soldiers. An actor brandishing a whip conveys the image of a man on horseback. An actor using an oar means he is out at sea or floating down a river,” he says.

The actors also use make-up to create certain stock faces, which knowledgeable audiences will immediately recognise. For example, a black, curly beard means that character is fierce and aggressive, a more refined “dragon’s beard” suggests a king or nobleman, a fox’s or a goat’s beard signifies cunning or dishonesty and a hairless face means the character is a student.

Currently there are seven tuong troupes performing around the country and while a keen culture-seeking tourist like James finds tuong fascinating, your typical Vietnamese teenager is far more likely to choose a Hollywood or Chinese Kung Fu film over an evening at the theatre watching a traditional drama. “I don’t like it at all because I don’t understand what it means,” says Pham Duy Hien, who believe it or not, is a student at Hanoi University of Cultural Studies, where a history of tuong is even part of the curriculum. Khiem is all too aware of how difficult it is to promote tuong.

“People don’t realise the value of the art,” he says. “But we want to create a place where tuong can be appreciated in the city.” The national theatre has tried to link up with a number of tourist companies so tuong plays will feature on cultural tour’s itineraries. Nguyen Van Tuan, director of Hanoi-based Nam Phuc Tourism Company Ltd., says his company has done just that. He believes tuong appeals to foreign tourists looking for an insight into Vietnamese culture. After the show, Tuan’s company presents each tourist with a CD of tuong music.

“This is the best way to promote tuong,” he says. But while it’s nice to send some tourists home with a souvenir, others need to know about tuong before they arrive in Vietnam, if tuong is to benefit from growing tourism. Nguyen Anh Tuan, a director of a Hanoi-based tourist company, says he tried to push tuong for his tours but recently he pulled the plug. “I have tried and I have failed,” he says. “Foreign tourists prefer water puppetry because it is funny.” There are signs at least that tuong is now enjoying more publicity.

Earlier this year the former MissVietnam Mai Phuong Thuy published a book in which she modelled 100 tuong masks and last May a French theatre group teamed up with the National Theatre of Tuong to perform a bi-lingual adaptation of the Greek classic Antigone. In Danang a workshop-slash-exhibition, entitled Exploring Tuong will showcase photos, sculptures and costumes this December.

Nguyen Hung, director of River Vietnam company, which launched this initiative, was motivated to promote tuong after visiting Nguyen Hien Dinh Tuong Theatre in Danang. “I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was no one in the audience and on stage there were all these famous actors,” he says. He believes tuong can be preserved and indeed flourish but the problem is “how to turn the art into a commodity.”

During the exhibition photographs and sculptures will then be auctioned off to raise funds to support local tuong actors, the professor of music Tran Van Khe will chair a talk on the art of tuong, which will be broadcast live on local television, while tourists can join a tuong mask painting class (from December 17 to 26).

Around 1,000 white masks will be sold to tourists and the 10 most beautiful masks will be selected and auctioned off to raise money for underprivileged kids in the locality. All of this should help raise the profile of tuong. But Hoang Minh Nhan from the Centre for Studying, Preserving and Promoting Culture in Central Vietnam says people will only enjoy tuong when they “fully understand its history and style of performance”.

That goes for young Vietnamese as much as it does for tourists. The Vietnam National Tuong Theatre regularly organises performances in schools and universities nationwide but, unsurprisingly, more funding is needed. “We need more support from the education and tourism sectors to promote and preserve tuong for future generations,” says Khiem.

(Source: Timeout)