VietNamNet Bridge – The cai luong (reformed opera) play Doi Co Luu (Life of Ms Luu), a production by well-known scriptwriter Tran Huu Trang, will be restaged in a new version 40 years after its first release.

People’s Artist Bach Tuyet (right) performs in the cai luong play Doi Co Luu, which will be restaged in a new version of cai luong and bolero in HCM City. Photo courtesy of the organiser

The 90-minute play portrays Luu, a Vietnamese woman, her challenges and sufferings under the feudal society in the south. It also features the themes of love and unfaithfulness.

Producer Gia Bao worked with his partner, People’s Artist Bach Tuyet, to complete the new version, a mix of cai luong and bolero, a genre of slow-tempo Latin music. 

Bao invited Tuyet and Vietnamese-American actress Phuong Lien, one of the region’s most talented cai luong performers in the 1980s and 90s, to play the leading character, Luu.

He also used pop stars Cam Ly and Le Quyen, both are famous in bolero, to play supporting roles.

“Our new version is targeted to young audiences,” said Bao, who spent more than VND800 million (US$35,000) on production.

“We want to offer cai luong with a new style to encourage young people to learn more about Vietnamese history and culture through theatre,” he added.

Since its debut by Thanh Minh-Thanh Nga Troupe, the play has been staged many times by art troupes in HCM City and southern provinces.

It is considered a canon of cai luong, a Vietnamese drama originating in the 1900s, developed in the Mekong River Delta region. 

Scriptwriter Trang was born in 1906 to a farming family in Cho Gao in My Tho Province (now Tien Giang). He began his professional career in 1928, working for leading troupes owned by Nam Phi and Nam Chau, great veterans of cai luong.

In the 1930s, Trang was at the peak of his artistry and fame, trying to put his new ideas in serious plays such Khi Nguoi Dien Biet Yeu (When the Madman Loves), Tim Hanh Phuc (Seeking Happiness) and Lan Va Diep (Love Story of Lan and Diep).

After the August Revolution in 1945, Trang joined the revolution and worked in Sai Gon-Cho Lon. He was a member of the National Front for the Liberation of the South. He died in 1966 in battle. His body has never been found.

Trang created more than 30 works and all feature Vietnamese characteristics. Most of them have been recognised as canonical cai luong and have been staged many times by different generations at home and abroad.

His plays starred Phung Ha, Thanh Nga and Ut Tra On, who are recognised gurus of the theatre. For his contributions, he was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize by the Government in 1996. 

Doi Co Luu will be restaged for two nights, January 21 and 28, at the Ben Thanh Theatre, 6 Mac Dinh Chi Street, District 1. Tickets are available at the box office. 

Source: VNS