Viet Nam News
HCM CITY — Five veteran cai luong (reformed theatre) actresses will perform in a special show at HCM City’s Cong Nhan Theatre on Tuesday night.
The 90-minute concert, Dem Toan Nu Ban (Night of Female Performers), will feature cai luong stars Thanh Hang, Phuong Hong Thuy, Thoai My, Phuong Hang and Phuong Loan, together with younger colleagues from traditional art troupes.
Famous in the 1990s, the actresses have played an important role in the development of the arts.
The women will stage popular extracts from historical plays such as Thai Hau Duong Van Nga (Queen Duong Van Nga), Tieng Trong Me Linh (Me Linh’s Drum) and Cau Tho Yen Ngua (Writing Poems on Horseback)
Songs composed by veteran artists Nguyen Van Ty, Vien Chinh, Han Chau and Mac The Nhan will also be featured.
“We will organise the show every month in a professional way because we want it to be quality art,” said Meritorious Artist Huu Quoc, the show’s organiser.
Quoc said he wanted to feature veteran actresses who have devoted their life to art.
“We also hope our performance will encourage young people to learn more about cai luong, a unique and traditional art form in the south,” said 48-year-old Meritorious Thoai My from the Tran Huu Trang Theatre.
My was sent to study cai luong at the theatre when she was at 12 years old, and later played leading roles in more than 80 plays and film videos.
She also earned dozens of top prizes at theatre festivals and competitions, including Tran Huu Trang Prize for Best Actress presented by the HCM City Theatre Association in 1992 and Golden Prize for Best Actress at the National Professional Cai Luong Festival organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2004 and 2005.
The show Dem Toan Nu Ban will begin at 8pm on August 23 at Cong Nhan Theatre, 30 Tran Hung Dao Street, District 1. Tickets are available at the box office. — VNS