VietNamNet Bridge – The Department of Performing Arts has just asked Vietnam Television to explain the 'crude' content of Vietnam’s most highly anticipated satire show.

Actor Xuan Bac and Cong Ly (left to right)in their roles as Nam Tao and Bac Dau.

The script for Tao Quan 2013 (The Kitchen Gods), an annual stage show that features some of Vietnam’s most highly regarded comedy actors performing sketches on the year’s political and social issues was recorded at the Vietnam Cultural Friendship Palace.

On January 18, Vietnam Television Film Centre (VFC) asked permission to perform the show at the Vietnam Cultural Friendship Palace on January 25-27. Because of the show’s highly entertaining satire, the department requested the content of the show should be evaluated in advance.

Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Head of the department’s Office for Performing Management said they had tried to contact VFC but had not received any response.

Nhan claimed there had been comments by the audience that the show contained crude jokes, "Especially the opening sketch featuring the two gods, Nam Tao and Bac Dau, talking about male to female transgender sex changes."

Nhan further said the opening scene, which has poked fun at Vietanam’s confusion over transgender issues, featured the character Nam Tao asking Bac Dau where the part of the body that Bac Dau had cut off now were, Bac Dau had responded that they had been thrown away.

Nam Tao responded that this was obviously a waste and he should have kept the parts to make food or alcohol.

Nhan said that in the video the VFC had sent to the department to be broadcasted for Tet, this particular scene had already been cut. However, the department also asked VFC to edit some of the other 'crude acts'.

According Nhan, despite the show’s huge popularity, the producers needed to be more ‘responsible,’ especially as the department has embarked on a moral crusade to ‘clean up’ allegedly crude and vulgar content in ‘cultural activities’.

The director of this year’s Tao Quan Show Do Thanh Hai said they haven't received any documents from the Department of Performing Arts. He said he was only to happy to answer press questions after he received the documents.

Source: DTriNews