Vietnamese writer Nguyen Du’s epic poem Tale of Kieu will be presented by the artists of Vietnam National Drama Theatre in the capital city starting November 5.

The play - directed by People’s Artist Anh Tu - will present the Tale of Kieu in a new way, combining singing, dancing and body art. However, he will respect the story’s original content:  the injustice of Vietnamese feudal society and the emotional suffering of people, especially women. The work celebrates kindness, filial piety, and loyalty.  

 “The Tale of Kieu reflects a deteriorating feudal society dominated by money and power, but I also want to highlight the great humanitarian values in the work," Tu said.

“I felt a lot of pressure staging this play, because it is a very interesting but also very difficult work to stage,” he said.

The national Vietnamese image of the lotus flower is present in the play from the beginning to the end. It represents different steps in the life of a person: first it opens, then fully flourishes and finally dies out. But it also represents the beauty, the sacrifices for the love and the life.

The Tale of Kieu, an epic poem written by Nguyen Du (1765–1820), is widely regarded as the most significant work of Vietnamese literature.

In 3,254 verses, written in lục bát ("six–eight") meter, the poem recounts the life, trials and tribulations of Thuy Kieu, a beautiful and talented young woman who has to sacrifice herself to save her family. To save her father and younger brother from prison, she sells herself into marriage with a middle-aged man. Unaware that he is a pimp, she is forced into prostitution.

VNS