VietNamNet Bridge – Veteran actress Hong Nga, one of the southern leading cai luong (reformed opera) performers, will stage a live show in HCM City next month. 

At her biggest-ever show on August 12 in HCM City, 73-year-old actress Hong Nga will treat theatre lovers to a taste of traditional cai luong, alongside younger performers. — Photo by courtesy of the organizer

The Neu Co Yeu Toi (Forever Love) show at the Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theatre will also be her biggest ever live show.

"I will sing original tunes of cai luong for theatre lovers, particularly younger audiences," said Nga.  

Nga is hoping that the event, which will also feature comedian Hoai Linh and pop star Dam Vinh Hung, will attract young people who like to go to music concert.

"To make an impression on young audiences, we need to offer productions with a new performing style," the 73-year-old said. 

The highlight of the show will be excerpts from Duyen Kiep (Predestined Love), Nua Doi Huong Phan (Woman Life) and Me Thoi Dai (Mother), popular plays in the 1970s and 80s that have made Nga famous for more than four decades.

Nga will perform with her younger colleagues such as Meritorious Artists Thoai My and Kim Tu Long.  

“I think cai luong artists should revive the genre with their creativity,” the show’s art director, artist Tran Ngoc Giau, said.  

Giau invited pop star Hung and young singers Nha Thy and Vinh Khang to perform in Nga’s show to “renew the theatre by combining traditional and modern performing styles”.

Nga will perform excerpts from comedies with support from singers who will sing cai luong in contemporary style.

“It will be hard for me to perform well beside younger colleagues and pop singers in a two-hour live show. I’ve been practising my vocal and dance skills for several hours a day,” said Nga, adding that her commitment to innovate was to attract audiences and sustain cai luong, a southern theatrical art that originated in the Mekong Delta early last century.  

Born to a poor family in Sai Gon (now HCM City), Nga began her career at a very early age.

During her stage debut for the Hang Xuan-An Phuoc Troupe in 1960, she bowled over the audience with her voice, looks and performance.  

She later joined the Thong Nhat Troupe, one of the region’s leading cai luong troupes, and sang with the troupe’s owner and talented actor Ut Tra On. She became one of its brightest stars.

After 1975, Nga worked for several leading theatres, including Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theatre.

Her strong and melodic voice and remarkable stage presence helped Nga leave an indelible mark on the art, and she has used her popularity to promote the art form.

She has performed in more than 120 plays and videos, and dozens of cai luong concerts.  

She now works as a lecturer for theatres and art schools. 

Her show, Neu Co Yeu Toi, will begin at 8pm on August 12. It is expected to attract an audience of 1,500 at Tran Huu Trang Theatre on 30 Tran Hung Dao Street in District 1.

Source: VNS