Play celebrates 100 years of cải lương

Meritorious Artist Lê Tứ (right), who has nearly 20 years in the theatre, one of the four artists to play the role of Thầy Ba Đợi (Teacher Ba Đợi), a cải lương play featuring 50 veteran artists that celebrates 100 years of the art. — Photo courtesy of the producer

A play featuring 50 artists of two leading theatres in Hà Nội and HCM City will be staged later this month to celebrate 100 years of cải lương (reformed opera).

The 150-minute show, Thầy Ba Đợi (Teacher Ba Đợi), portrays the career of famous musician Nguyễn Quang Đại, a guru of cải lương who helped develop tài tử music, a genre of traditional music, and cải lương in the South. 

The play, which stars talented artists of the Việt Nam Cải Lương Theatre of Hà Nội and Trần Hữu Trang Theatre of HCM City, will combine both traditional and modern performance styles.

The producers at both theatres have spent a lot for the production, including costumes, sound and light effects, according to Meritorious Artist Nguyễn Trung Kiên, deputy director of Việt Nam Cải Lương Theatre, one of the play’s four directors. 

"We want to satisfy audiences who want to enjoy cải lương with something new," said Kiên in a recent interview with HCM City-based Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) newspaper.

"We promise a great spectacle of music and images."

Thầy Ba Đợi focuses on the career of musician Đại in 1885, when he moved from his birthplace, Huế City, to Sài Gòn (HCM City now) to teach tài tử music.

The play highlights the contributions of Đại in promoting Huế royal music and cải lương. 

Four veteran artists, Thanh Tuấn, Lê Tứ, Quang Khải and Xuân Vinh, director of Việt Nam Cải Lương Theatre, were invited to play the role of Đại.

The work also attracts cải lương stars Quế Trân and Võ Minh Luân of Trần Hữu Trang Theatre.

"Cải lương will attract younger audiences if it provides a new and modern style," Kiên said.    

To impress audiences, Kiên and his staff have decided to use Meritorious Artist Doãn Bằng to participate in stage design and making costumes.

The performers have been practising singing and dance skills for hours each day to provide theatre fans "a great show with strong and melodic voices and appealing and powerful stage presence,” Kiên said.

Thầy Ba Đợi  will be staged at 8pm on April 28 and 29 at Bến Thành Theatre, 6 Mạc Đĩnh Chi Street, in District 1. It will air live on Việt Nam Television and Hồ Chí Minh Television.

It will be staged in Long An Province.

Traditional singing festival to kick off in May

A festival of traditional then singing, featuring art troupes from 16 provinces and cities in the country, will be held in the mountainous province of Hà Giang on May 13-14.— Photo vietnamtourism.gov.vn

A festival of traditional then singing, featuring art troupes from 16 provinces and cities in the country, will be held in the mountainous province of Hà Giang on May 13-14.

Then singing is a form of art combining literature, music and dance and has long been a religious and cultural practice of Tày, Nùng and Thai ethnic groups in the northern mountainous region of Việt Nam during special occasions, such as village festivals.

This type of singing is always accompanied by tính (gourd lute) instrument.

This will be the sixth edition of the National Festival of Traditional Then Singing. The festival aims to honour then singers and artistes as well as preserve and develop the practice of then singing and tính instrument in modern life.

The festival will provide an opportunity to introduce and popularise unique art forms of the ethnic minorities in the northwest of the country to both domestic and international tourists as well as showcase the tourism potential of the participating provinces, according to the organisation board.

Many activities, including a photo exhibition with the theme “Then-Tày, Nùng, Thai, Việt Nam Cultural Heritages”, will be held as part of the festival.

Artisans and art troupes from the northern, central and southern provinces, such as Cao Bằng, Thái Nguyên, Đắc Lắc and HCM City, will perform different types of then singing.

Then is performed during significant events, such as prayer ceremonies for peace, good crops and good health, as well as to bring cheer and drive away sorrows.

Then is said to have originated in the late 15th century during the rule of Mạc Dynasty. Legend has it that in Mạc Dynasty, there were two kings who had special love for music and singing. They developed a handmade gourd lute called đàntính and established two singing troupes to perform at the royal court. Ordinary people found it interesting and started learning it, preserving this form of singing till date.

Last year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a dossier on then singing practice of the Tày, Nùng and Thai ethnic groups of Việt Nam for submission to UNESCO asking for the singing form’s recognition as part of the intangible cultural heritage.

Italian culinary delights at Sheraton Saigon Hotel Towers

The Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers will host the Italian Culinary Delights event from 6pm to 10pm on Friday and Saturday this week at 88 Đồng Khởi Street in HCM City’s District 1

The Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers will host the Italian Culinary Delights event from 6pm to 10pm on Friday and Saturday this week at 88 Đồng Khởi St in HCM City’s District 1.

The offerings include parmesan-white bean dip with pizza chips, Italian-crusted roast pork with grappa-infused apple sauce, roasted beef Mediterranean style, Tuscan soup, oyster with cheese and spinach, and mushroom and truffle risotto.

The ticket price is VNĐ1,400,000 ++ including free flow of house wine, draft beer, soft drinks, coffee and tea.

VN heroine discussed at book club

Book Club tonight will discuss the book Last Night I Dreamed of Peace – A Diary of Dang Thuy Tram.

The Friends of Vietnam Heritage’s Book Club is the place where participants discuss books either written by Vietnamese authors or books based in Việt Nam. The club encourages women and men of all nationalities to join and be part of this evening book club that meets the first Thursday of each month.

Today at the April meeting, the club members will gather to discuss Last Night I Dreamed of Peace – a diary of Đặng Thùy Trâm, who was a 24-year-old doctor when she went to work in a battlefield hospital and was just 27 when she was killed. Her voice lives on through her diary pages.

The discussion will take place at Maison De Tet, Villa 156, Từ Hoa Street, Nghi Tàm, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. To register: email Kirstin at mckiekirstin@gmail.com or Piu at  lahiri.piu@gmail.com. 

DeN hosts a musical journey around the globe

Music enthusiasts will be plunged into the world groove, a big bowl of fragrances from all seven continents.

A unique and special night of world music will take place at DeN Bar & Café tomorrow night.

Manuel Orkestar and Pedro Sebazt will plunge you into the world groove, a big bowl of fragrances from all seven continents. Their repertoire definitely will include Japanese gnawa, Iranian rock, Argentinian funk, Senegalese samba and Lebanese waltz.Music enthusiasts will start the evening’s journey with 70’s psychedelic rock and funk from all around the world, and the journey will go on through African, Arabian, Asian, Brazilian, gypsy and Latin dimensions.

The music performance will be from 9pm to 12.30am. DeN is at 49 Làng Yên Phụ. Free entry.

Ladies Night at Piu Piu Bar with DJ Sara Mapa

DJ Sara Mapa will play hip hop beats and R&B from 9pm until late at 97 Hai Bà Trưng Street in HCM City’s District 1. -- Photo rustycompass.com

Piu Piu Bar will host Ladies Night today from 9pm until late at 97 Hai Bà Trưng Street in HCM City’s District 1.

Special guest DJ Sara Mapa from Saigon’s own new school Hip Hop will perform R&B vibes all night long.

Entrance is free, with free cocktails for women.

Chicken Cumbia at Indika Saigon

Indika Saigon will host Chicken & Cumbia from 7pm to 11pm today at 43 Nguyễn Văn Giai St in HCM City’s District 1.

Indika Saigon will host Chicken & Cumbia from 7pm to 11pm today at 43 Nguyễn Văn Giai St in HCM City’s District 1.

Barbecue chicken wings and cumbia music mixed by special guest DJ Kaztet D are part of the night’s festivities.

KAZTET D is a reggae/jungle/world Selecta, MC and promoter from France, partly raised in Asia and based in Phnom Penh.

Entrance is free and customers and if you buy three tequila shots, you get one free.

TPD to screen ’Blue Valentine’

Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling star in Blue Valentine.

The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD) will present a screening of Blue Valentine tomorrow night.

Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) live a quiet life in a modest neighbourhood. To the casual observer, everything appears normal. But a closer examination reveals a couple caught in a downward spiral. They appear to have the world at their feet at the outset of the relationship. However, his lack of ambition and her retreat into self-absorption cause potentially irreversible cracks in their marriage.

The film received much acclaim, and Williams was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress while Gosling received an Academy Award nomination for best actor.

The screening, which is for educational purposes and to raise funds for the Young Cinema Fund at TPD, will start at 7.30pm.  The film will be presented in English with Vietnamese subtitles. The requested donation is VNĐ20,000/person.

TPD is on the fourth floor, 51 Trần Hưng Đạo Street. Call (024) 39366559 for further information.