Poetic soul: Artists in the Viet Nam Cai Luong Theatre rehearse the cai luong (reformed theatre) play Mai Hac De. The play will debut in Ha Noi tomorrow. — Photo laodong.com.vn

HA NOI  (VNS) — A cai luong (reformed theatre) play honouring national hero Mai Hac De will debut tomorrow at Au Co Art Centre in Ha Noi.

Mai Hac De, whose real name is Mai Thuc Loan, initiated the Hoan Chau uprising in Nghe An in 713AD, rebelling against the tough rule and heavy tax policies of the Chinese Tang domination. The uprising gathered 40,000 soldiers, most of them poor, and was a key event in Vietnamese history.

After the glorious victory, Loan ascended to the throne and gave himself the royal name Mai Hac De. His reign lasted until 722, when Chinese Tang invaders once again occupied the country.

Scriptwriter Nguyen The Ky nurtured the idea for the play since he attended a workshop in 2013 on the Hoan Chau uprising.

"Most people know Mai Hac De as a national hero with great military talent, but very few know about his poetic soul. This cai luong play depicts both these outstanding sides of his character," Ky said.

Staged by 140 artists from the Viet Nam Cai Luong Theatre with a budget of VND3 billion (US$140,000), the play will be presented to audiences from January 27-29. Free tickets can be reserved by contacting the Viet Nam Cai Luong Theatre at (04) 38634659.

The play will be introduced to audiences in Nghe An – Mai Hac De's homeland – on March 3-4 in celebration of the 1,302nd anniversary of the Hoan Chau upraising. — VNS