HCM CITY — Cải lương (reformed opera) theatres in HCM City will stage plays highlighting patriotism and national pride to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification (April 30, 1975 – 2025).

The Đại Việt Cải Lương Theatre, one of HCM City’s leading private traditional art troupes, will perform a remake of Câu Thơ Yên Ngựa (Poetry and Saddle), a historical play famous among audiences in the south after 1975, on April 19.

The play portrays General Lý Thường Kiệt, a prominent military leader and politician of Đại Việt (former name of Việt Nam) who led the country to victory against the Chinese Song Dynasty in the 11th century.

After gaining the victory, Kiệt wrote a poem declaring the sovereignty of Việt Nam. The poem has become well-known as the country’s first Independence Declaration.

The original version of Câu Thơ Yên Ngựa, written by playwright Hoàng Yến, was first staged in 1979 by Minh Tơ, one of the leading theatres in the south.

The work was rewritten and directed by the late People’s Artist Thanh Tòng, a guru of cải lương. Tòng’s version features cải lương tuồng cổ, an art form combining cải lương and hát bội (classical drama) focusing on historical events and national heroes.

The play premiered in 1982 and became a launchpad for the development of cải lương tuồng cổ in the region. Many versions of the play have been staged for years.

The 2025 version of the play is directed by Meritorious Artist and prize-winning director Hoa Hạ, featuring cải lương stars such as Quế Trân, Võ Minh Lâm, Tú Sương and Chí Linh.

People’s Artist Quế Trân, Tòng’s daughter, promises to introduce audiences to a new version of Câu Thơ Yên Ngựa, which highlights the quintessence of cải lương tuồng cổ, but still offers modern and creative details to make the play attractive to audiences.

She hopes that after the play, she and her peers will continue to restage more of Tòng’s plays because all the works are high quality and precious.

Câu Thơ Yên Ngựa will begin at 8pm at the Trần Hữu Trang Cải Lương Theatre at 136 Trần Hưng Đạo in District 1.

Another show is Tiếng Hò Sông Hậu (Folk Tunes on Hậu River), a play featuring a revolutionary theme, staged by the Trần Hữu Trang Cải Lương Theatre.

Written by playwright Điêu Huyền, the play was first performed in the beginning of the 1980s by the Sài Gòn 2 Cải Lương Troupe.

The work revolves around the life of farmers in the South in the 1940s and their struggle against cruel and oppressive rulers and French colonialists. The farmers later joined revolutionaries and soldiers to rise up and overthrow the feudal system and colonialists.

Hoa Hạ, the play's director, told local media that she concentrated on staging the new version to attract young audiences.

She will apply new technologies of sound and light effects and use LED screens to show valuable videos about historical events and President Hồ Chí Minh reading the Declaration of Independence declaring the birth of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam (now the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam).

The play will star People’s Artist Lê Tứ, Thu Vân, Điền Trung and Hà Như.

The play will be staged at 8pm on April 26 at the Trần Hữu Trang Theatre. — VNS