All in the family: A scene in Nguoi Dan Ba Uong Ruou (The Woman Drinking Wine), a drama featuring urban women and their problems in love and family, staged by the Phu Nhuan Drama Club. — Photo coutersy of Phu Nhuan Drama Club

HCM CITY  (VNS) — As part of HCM City's cultural activities to celebrate national Family Day this year, local theatres are offering a variety of new and interesting shows on family issues to suit audiences looking for serious topics.

Love and betrayal are featured in director Bui Quoc Bao's Lac Giua Pho Nguoi (Lost in the Crowd), a play staged by the Hoang Thai Thanh Drama Club.

Attracting young and talented actors, including Nhu Phuc, Luong Duyen, Quoc Thinh and The Hai, Lac Giua Pho Nguoi provides fans with lessons in love, marriage and family conflicts.

The play depicts the tragic life of Lan (played by Nhu Phuc), who has an adulterous relationship with a married man. She suffers in misery and finally pays a great price for her mistakes.

Lan's husband, Tuan (played by veteran Thanh Hoi) is a good man who earns a lot of money from his business. But he learns that money would not bring happiness for his wife and children.

"Married couples are living in a global world. They face challenges in a modern life where they do not have enough time to understand each of their family's members. After watching, audiences can see themselves and find lessons from each character in Lac Giua Pho Nguoi," said the play's young director Bao.

Bao worked hard to bring his fans a world of sound and light on a modern stage.

The play is staged every night at the Cultural House for Children in District 1.

The 5B Small Theatre's shows are familiar among to local students and workers. This season, the house is offering three serious plays, Phia Sau Toi Ac (Behind the Evil), Guong Mat Ke Khac (The Face) and Ao Va That (Truth and Illusion), at its theatre located in Vo Van Tan Street, District 1.

These shows, highlighting women and their challenges in work and family, began last week and continue every night to the end of July.

For more quiet selections, try the popular stages of the Phu Nhuan Drama Club in Nguyen Van Troi Street and Hong Van Club on Truong Son Street.

Phu Nhuan Club performs Nguoi Dan Ba Uong Ruou (The Woman Drinking Wine) and Vu Dieu Duoi Trang (Dance in the Moonlight), both of which feature urban women and the problems they face to protect their love and family.

"Through our plays, audiences can be entertained but also can gain useful lessons," said the theatre's director, Hong Van.

An option for laughs is the Minh Beo Club. "Unlike other theatres, we decided to stage comedies this season because people want to be entertained and forget their problems after days of hard work," said comic actor Nguyen Minh, director of the theatre.

"Our club's comedy shows as Dan Ong Cung Khoc (Men in Tears) and Mui Da Nguoi (The Flavour of Skin) have received a warm response from critics and theatre lovers," Van said.

The three-act play Dan Ong Cung Khoc focuses on the sufferings of children whose father is addicted to alcohol while Mui Da Nguoi tells teenagers about their curiosity about love, gender differences, and sexual relationships.

Minh said his club would soon perform a series of comedies featuring dozens of skilled actors: Cha Nao Con Nay (Like Father Like Son) and Tuyen Tap Cuoi (Ga La Selective Comedies). All of the shows are about family issues and promise different views.

"We are confident our shows will achieve a good profit this season," he added. — VNS