LookAtVietnam – It was a cai luong (reformed opera) drama like every other that had been staged at Hung Dao Theatre over the years.

Love story: Minh Vuong (right) and Le Thuy in the cai luong drama Dem Lanh Chua Hoang, which was first staged nearly 40 years ago.

Dem Lanh Chua Hoang

(A Chilly Night at a Desolate Pagoda), a classic cai luong drama staged for the first time 40 years ago, was re-enacted at this temple devoted to the dramatic arts last Friday, with actors Minh Vuong and Le Thuy reprising their earlier roles.

The drama by scriptwriter Yen Lang has been recorded on CDs and cassettes that have been listened to over and over again by fans for decades.

Now in their 60s, the actors formed the core of the cast that included all-new members, many of them much younger than Vuong and Thuy.

With older artists and fans in attendance, the revered drama helped to create a feeling of the glory of the theatre during its heyday, catapulted by a golden generation of artists.

In this performance, however, the two veteran actors were no longer agile enough to perform action scenes like battlefield fighting, as their movements are now slow and not as sharp as before.

The storyline revolves around a love story that occurred during wartime, with the lovers so torn between their feelings and responsibilities to their countries that tragedy ensues in the end.

What charmed the audience at the Hung Dao theatre, however, was not the love triangle or complex entanglement of love and hate, but the poetic and meaningful beautiful lyrics of songs.

The audience moved their lips, singing after the actors, following lyrics like “Thoi hay quen di, vui tron dem nay, mai se chia lia” (Let’s drop the hatred, enjoy the evening because tomorrow we part forever) or “Sau dem nay va ngan dem nua di, em van yeu van yeu mot minh anh” (Although I feel guilty about my love of you this evening and a thousand evenings more, I still will always love you).

“This drama is most noted for its handsome lyrics,” said Tran Thu Thuy, 37, who lives in Go Vap District and was attending the show. “I’ve listened to it so many times I can remember it by heart.”

Mai Thi Ngoc Lan, 47, originally from the central city of Hue city, said that she enjoyed the drama more than 20 years ago and happened to see the title of the drama on a billboard when she was riding past the theatre.

“The title signals a classic, like a brand,” she added. “So I did not hesitate to buy a ticket, although I don’t remember the story very well.”

Dong Thanh Quang, 32, who loves cai luong, as well as cinema and pop music, attended the play, believing that “each artist of the previous generation is unique onstage, while today’s artists act and sing somehow the same”.

Perfect match onstage

Although they are now at a later stage in their careers, Vuong and Thuy still draw a crowd everywhere they go, especially in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta. Last year, they won a People’s Choice Awards held by Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper in the category of cai luong actors.

They have a history of more than four decades performing side by side onstage, and are noted for their candid and simple style of acting and singing.

“When it comes to dramas that deal with social matters, I would reply with the names Minh Vuong, and when it comes to ancient dramas, I would say Minh Phung,” Thuy said when asked about her favourite onstage partner.

“We are re-enacting this drama at the request of the audience who wants to see us onstage together again,” she said, adding that it took her and her colleagues just a week of rehearsal to return to form.

Among the fans was Dieu Dinh, a 61-year-old woman from District 8, who had to struggle to walk to the theatre’s upstairs seats because of pain in her legs.

“I can’t afford the ground floor,” Dinh said, “but I love them so much that I gritted my teeth with the pain and paid for a xe om (taxibike) to come here.”

Thuy said all proceeds of the show, which totalled around VND60 million (US$3,500), will be donated to the poor and the needy as a sign of gratitude to the audience.

The show will resume in September at the theatre before travelling to the central provinces of Nha Trang and Da Nang.

Hoai Linh, a popular comedian who plays a supporting role in the drama, conceded that cai luong was much more difficult to perform than comedy.

“You have to act within the musical frame and you must be capable of singing,” said Linh, adding that he opted to work in comedy rather than cai luong, because he could not sing very well.

However, Linh continues to have an avid interest in cai luong, and says that the art form can help to enrich his acting because it contains the essence of the “Vietnamese soul”.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News