Queen and country: A scene from the cheo play Vuong Nu Me Linh. It will be performed in Ha Noi today. — VNS Photo

HA NOI (VNS)— The Ha Noi Cheo Theatre stages the play Vuong Nu Me Linh ( The Queen) in the capital city today, as part of activities to celebrate the 68th National Day on September 2.

Directed by artist Thuy Mui, the play is eagerly awaited by fans, both old and young, and its high investment of VND1 billion (nearly US$50,000) has been a talking point for several weeks.

"We wanted to perfect our stage to attract both older and younger generations," said Mui, adding that it would be the first cheo (traditional opera) performance in the capital to use advanced high-tech equipment, including light and sound effects, artificial smoke and visual arts.

Revolving around the lives of two national heroines, the sisters Trung Trac and Trung Nhi who rose up against Han rule during 40-43 AD, the play features several events about the sisters who lived, fought and died for the country's independence.

"The play is like an endless song in praise of the love for country and its people, depicting the sentiments of Vietnamese women," said Mui.

The theatre's young performers Thuc Khanh (playing Trung Trac) and Quang Phong (playing Thi Sach, Trac's husband) have acted in many quality dramas and are expected to win acclaim from both critics and fans.

"Heroines Trung Trac and Trung Nhi or the Trung Sisters are popular among the Vietnamese people. We have tried our best to portray the heroines and their works on stage as they realistically as possible," said actress Thuc Khanh, an admirer of Trung sisters like millions of youth nationwide.

Mui said she invited choreographer Tan Loc and fashion designer Si Hoang from HCM City to make the drama more vivid with dance moves and striking costumes.

"Although the play is serious, our artists hope Vuong Nu Me Linh will relax audiences and evoke a feeling of love for peace and reason," she said.

The play will open at 8pm, tonight, at the Dai Nam Theatre on Hue Street in Hoan Kiem District.

Modern cheo pioneers

The Ha Noi Cheo Theatre, established in 1965, has already achieved fame for its experimentation.

In 1988, the theatre put out Nang Sita (Princess Sita), and faced the wrath of critics for breaking with tradition by using modern language in a cheo play.

But audiences loved it and filled the 1,000-seat Cong Nhan Theatre in Ha Noi every night of the performance.

Directed by Doan Hoang Giang, the play still generates the innovation versus tradition debate.

Many cheo lovers in Ha Noi and nearby provinces say they love to visit the Ha Noi Cheo Theatre on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street because of the modern flavour it imparts to the cheo stage.

The theatre's salient plays include Moi Tinh Dien Bien (Love in Dien Bien) and Nhung Co Tho Det (Female Weavers), focusing on rural development and the fight against social ills.

Ha Van Cau, who has for researched cheo for several years, believes that cheo has to be continued in the traditional way instead of re-making it to fit modern tastes. But after seeing a series of operas staged by the Ha Noi theatre's young artists like Lam Bang and Thu Huyen, Cau admitted to being less pessimistic about the future of cheo.

"Changing cheo is difficult, but they have done it well," he said. —VNS