VietNamNet Bridge – Art troupes and theatres in HCM City are offering new shows with a variety of interesting themes to celebrate the Christmas and New Year holiday season.

Razzle-dazzle: Pop singers prepare for their shows celebrating Christmas and New Year’s in HCM City. — Photo courtesy of K Media

Two new plays about women and love will be staged next week by the Cai Luong (reformed opera) Tran Huu Trang Theatre, one of the region’s leading traditional art troupes.

While Hoa Vuong Tinh Mong (Dreaming Love) features veteran actresses Tu Suong and Hong Tham, Hiu Hiu Gio Bac (Winter Wind) has attracted young talents My Hang and Quynh Huong.

Both plays will use sound and lights effects to dazzle audiences.

“We want to stage love stories because they are what audiences, particularly youngsters, want to hear in Christmas. We decided to use our most beautiful and talented actresses for these shows because they’ll help to light up the night,” said Quynh Mai, the female director of Hoa Vuong Tinh Mong.

The plays are being held on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and every Saturday and Sunday through January.

Like previous seasons, the young actors of the theatre will travel to rural districts to stage free performances at cultural centres during festival week. Shows based on historical events will be featured. For music fans, District 1’s Trong Dong Stage on Cach Mang Thang Tam Street will offer a special music and song programme called Noel Trang (White Noel) each night from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day.  

The event will attract music stars and bands, including pop idols Dong Nhi, Dam Vinh Hung and Giang Hong Ngoc. Tickets, at VND50,000 (US$21), are available at the box office.

The music shows at the Youth Cultural House are well-known among local students and workers.

This season, the cultural house will stage two free outdoor programmes, Giang Sinh Yeu Thuong (Love in Christmas) and Mung Xuan Moi (Celebrating New Spring) at its theatre in District 1.

Both shows, providing various songs, dances, circuses and comedies, will begin on Christmas Eve and at night the first day of the New Year festival. More than 15,000 people are expected to join the concerts.

For more quiet selections, try the popular stages of Hong Hac Stage and The Gioi Tre Theatre in District 1.

Hong Hac Stage performs two new shows, I’m Dan Ba (I’m A Woman) and Ngo Nhan (Mistake), directed by young talents Tay Phong and Hanh Thuy.

The play I’m Dan Ba  tells of a group of four young women who face difficulties in life and love. The show’s young actors Anh Tho and Bao Tri will show off their skills in singing and dance.  

The serious play Ngo Nhan features social problems in modern life.  

Another option for laughs is Hon Anh Xac Em (Your Soul, My Body) staged by The Gioi Tre.

"Like other theatres, we decided to stage comedies during Christmas and New Year’s because people want to be entertained and forget their problems after a year of hard work," said theatre director Bui Quoc Bao.

"We’re confident our shows will have a good profit during this season," he added.

Source: VNS