Actress Ngoc Trinh (L) in a scene from Ke noi doi da tinh, adapted from the West End hit “Run for Your Wife”

Ngoc Trinh hopes bringing a West End hit to Ho Chi Minh City will reignite her career.

The comedy, based on Ray Cooney’s 1983 smash-hit “Run for Your Wife,” tells the tale of a taxi driver with two wives, two lives and a precise schedule for juggling all four.

After an accident and a hospital stay upsets the driver’s schedule, he becomes hopelessly entangled in his attempts to explain himself to his wives and two suspicious police officers.

It was South Korean director Kim Eui Sung who gave Trinh the idea to stage the English play when they were working on the hit TV series Mui ngo gai (The Scent of Coriander) in 2007. Sung, who was an artistic consultant on “Coriander,” said the play had been a big success in South Korea.

Also producer of the play, Trinh plays one of the cab driver’s two wives along with a strong cast of famous comedians including Thanh Hoang, Tuong Vy and Quoc Thuan.

Under Sung’s direction, the play is full of witty dialogue and awkward situations, perfected with a bright Korean-style sitcom-like stage. The theater has been packed since the show’s debut late last month.

Trinh said her team was perfect for Cooney’s clever plot. But making the play was nothing less than stressful.

As the show’s female lead, main investor, producer and even interpreter between the Korean director and the cast, she had to be careful not to upset her stomach as she still deals with gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach lining, which took her out of the game for two years.

But Trinh said she’s been happy and content with the results so far.

“Run for Your Wife” was Cooney’s largest success with a nine-year run in London’s West End, a neighborhood known for staging the world’s finest English-language plays, becoming the longest-running comedy ever staged in the “theaterland” district.

Against all odds

After graduating from the HCMC College of Stage and Cinema in 1996, Trinh quickly became one of the brightest young faces in the city’s stage circle. With a small stature and an eye-catching, lively look, Trinh often played youthful, sprightly or puerile characters.

Her early career was sparked with a string of successes and each role came with a higher profile. Not to mention that a romantic relationship with her mentor, actor-director Cong Ninh, blossomed into love.

Trinh said one of her best memories was acting in Mui ngo gai, a TV drama that drew on the talents of South Korean filmmakers, as Korean soap-operas still dominate television programming in Vietnam.

“I feel so lucky to have worked with a professional Korean film crew, I learned a lot from them,” she says.

The series told of the life of Vy, a poor girl who overcame every hardship to establish a world-wide pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) chain.

Trinh said the undefeatable character is still with her every day.

“Her spirit encourages me through all adversity,” Trinh said.

Trinh’s life and career, however, took an unfortunate turning point when she had to leave show to have surgery for complications arising from her gastritis.

She gave up her role to Hong Anh, winner of Best Actress in the Asia/Africa category at the 2008 Dubai International Film Festival.

Trinh’s departure from Mui ngo gai coincided much-publicized break up with Cong Ninh, prompting many rumors about a possible relationship between Trinh and director Kim Eui Sung

“Trouble with rumors has made me sad,” said Trinh. “But I am also supported by my loving family and friends. Thank God I have them. Leaving everything else behind, I’m more mature and know where and who I am.”

Humility

After nearly two years out of the industry, Trinh was determined to regain her status as one of Vietnam’s leading actors with “The Love Liar.”

Trinh said the new play had helped her become satisfied and confident in the present.

“Although I am not rich, I’m grateful to be an actor. But this job is full of stress and pressure, so it it’s important for me to keep my mind balanced.”

She says that while she entertains her romantic sensibilities, she still keeps one foot firmly planted on the ground.

“I don’t dream enough to be truly disappointed,” she said. “I’m not a star, so I’m patient with art.”

Reported by Kim