Several extracts from famous cai luong (reformed opera) plays will be staged by the Ban Huu Ai (Fraternity) Club in HCM City tomorrow as part of the programme Ba The He Ve Lai Coi Nguon (Three Generations Back to the Roots).

The programme will feature works like Ganh Hat Ven Song (Riverside Theatre Troupe), To Huyet The (Blood Oath) and Luc Van Tien – Kieu Nguyet Nga (Love Story of Luc Van Tien and Kieu Nguyet Nga).

They will be performed by members of the club, which was founded by Meritorious Artist Kim Tu Long.

The show will feature veteran cai luong artists, including Meritorious Artists Bach Tuyet, Ngoc Giau and Que Tran, and young artists from Bau Troi Xanh Group.

"Ba The He Ve Lai Coi Nguon is my dream of an ideal theatre programme where cai luong artists of three different generations gather together on the same stage," said Long, a member of the HCM City Theatre Executive Board.

Long has the support of nearly 100 members of the club, which include performers, musicians, costume designers, make-up artists and backstage workers.

Meritorious Artist Truong Son said he and his colleagues would continue to collaborate with Long to preserve and promote cai luong.

"The support of all artists and backstage workers was my motivation to establish the club," said the 50-year-old artist.

Long developed an interest in cai luong when he was 14 years old.

He learned to sing vong co (nostalgic tunes), a traditional southern art form, and perform cai luong from Vuong Quang and the late People's Artist Phung Ha.

In 1985, he was a member of Tran Huu Trang Troupe 3, one of the region's leading cai luong performers. His strong voice and dance skills impressed audiences.

He won the prestigious Tran Huu Trang Award given to promising cai luong artists in 1992, and Nguoi Lao Dong (The Labourer) newspaper's Mai Vang (Golden Apricot) Award for Favourite Cai Luong Actor in 2002, 2003 and 2009.

The show, which begins at 8pm at Cong Nhan Theatre, is expected to attract 500 audience members. The venue is at 30 Tran Hung Dao Street in District 1. 

VNS