VietNamNet Bridge – With an aim to promote musicals to local audiences, especially youth, Meritorious Artist Cao Minh has initiated a self-financed project to hold musical plays at his café in HCMC. The Vietnamese version of the Notre Dame de Paris by seasoned composer Huy Tien will be the first musical to be played Friday night.

Meritorious Artist Cao Minh directs artists joining the Notre Dame de Paris musical at his coffee shop in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District.

Minh came up with this ambitious idea as he witnessed the great interest of composer Huy Tien in creating and adjusting this musical for over 30 years since the 1980s. No one risks investing in a genre of art like musical which remains new to local audiences and requires viewers to have certain knowledge to comprehend.

To approach more audiences, Tien uses contemporary music genres like pop, jazz and blue to soften the original essence of musical. After two shows at the HCMC Conservatory of Music with contributions from artists and benefactors earlier this year, the Vietnamese version of the Notre Dame de Paris has virtually fallen into oblivion.

Audiences are not yet interested in it and its content is not comparable to the brilliant original French version.

“I want to be the first one who wants to teach audiences how to watch and listen to musicals. To prepare for the launch of the forthcoming show, I have had a cement stage with acoustic and lighting systems built, and the café repaired to create an appropriate setting for the musical,” Minh said, showing his hands with paint and lime and around 20 artists practicing under the scorching sun of late March.

Minh has received free contributions from his colleagues and students in the project. People’s Artist Tran Hieu, 79, who has just recovered from severe illness, is among his supporters. He will play the role of poet Gringoire, a narrator of the musical.

“I and other singers come to this project as volunteers and want to find a new way for the local music industry. There must be someone who pioneers to establish a foundation for other people,” said Hieu. “This is a good play with a Vietnamese script and contemporary music. I believe viewers will positively respond to the work but they need time to understand and familiarize themselves with it,” he added.

The Vietnamese version of the Notre Dame de Paris will be staged Friday nights from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. starting from April 4 at Cao Minh Café, 255/47 bis No Trang Long Street, Binh Thanh District, HCMC.

Viewers can get hands-on knowledge of how a musical is played in Vietnamese and see popular characters like Frollo, Phoebus, Esmeralda, Quasimodo stepping from Victor Hugo’s work to reality.

Meritorious Artist Cao Minh will play priest Frollo who has a desperate love with Esmeralda and it turns him into a selfish and cruel type. Singer Huy Tuan who is resident artist at some cafes and lounges will play Phoebus, a liberal, well-groomed yet shallow captain. Young singer Phuong Trinh, student of a local music school, will play a naive and unfortunate Bohemian girl, Esmeralda. Meritorious Artist Duy Tan will be Quasimodo, a hunchback bellman in the Notre Dame Cathedral who sacrifices his life for Esmeralda.

Cao Minh will run Notre Dame de Paris musical in four months. Then he will join hands with composer Huy Tien in two other musicals called “Chua Dan” (Dan Pagoda) and “Ga danh giay” (a shoeshiner).

Spectators can call the hotline on 0918 382 579 or 0917 917 173 for tickets priced at VND250,000 per person inclusive a drink. Or they can purchase tickets at Cao Minh Café at 255/47 bis No Trang Long Street, Binh Thanh District.

Source: SGT