VietNamNet Bridge – Senior cai luong singer, People’s Artist Kim Cuong, 75, will organize three shows on August 6-8 at the HCM City Opera House, which will have the participation of many famous singers in HCM City.




The senior artist will perform extracts from two famous cai luong plays, “Tra Hoa Nu” (Camellia) and “La Sau Rieng” (Durian Leaf), which made fame for the artist.

Vu Minh, the show director, said that in the past, the Kim Cuong drama troupe, ran by artist Kim Cuong, used to give the first 45 minutes of its show for music and dance performance, break and then cai luong. The upcoming shows will be organized in similar structure.

Meritorious Artist Thanh Loc will be the presenter of the show. Writer Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc will write script for the show.

At the age of 90, People’s Artist Vien Chau still wrote a vong co song about artist Kim Cuong, which will be performed by singer Cam Ly.

Many famous singers like Dam Vinh Hung, Quang Dung, Le Quyen, Anh Tuyet, Huu Chau and drama artists like Huu Chau, Minh Nhi, DiemKieu, Luong The Thanh, etc. will join the show to show their respect to the senior artist.

Artist Kim Cuong said that these shows would be the last in her life.

After more than 40 years in theater, People's Artist Kim Cuong has performed in several hundreds of plays and recorded albums praising Vietnamese culture and lifestyle in both traditional and modern styles.

Born in 1937 in a traditional family in Sai Gon, Kim Cuong fell in love with cai luong (reformed opera) through her mother, the late talented performer Bay Nam, head of Dai Phuoc Cuong Troupe, one of the region's prestigious cai luong troupes.

She began her professional career when she was 17 and later performed with actors such as Nam Phi, Phung Ha, Bich Thuan and Chin Bia, all of whom are recognized as some of the most talented cai luong performers in the country.

Kim Cuong has played the leading role in famous plays, including Giai Nhan Va Ac Quy (Beauty and the Beast). In the 1960s, she decided to perform in drama, a modern imported genre of theater, after learning the art.

She opened Kim Cuong Drama Troupe, managing a staff of 70, including a skilled group of performers, including Tu Trinh, Kieu Phuong Loan and Van Hung. To perfect her troupe's shows, Cuong learned scriptwriting.

Her troupe offered dozens of quality plays on the topics of love, family and social problems, including La Sau Rieng (Durian Leaf) and Duoi Hai Mau Ao (Two Sides of Clothes), both of which were written by Cuong and staged many times.

Vietnamese drama exists in two styles, from the north and the south. Each style requires specific performance skills. Kim Cuong and her performers worked hard to highlight the culture and lifestyle of southern people. They made drama popular, even among cai luong fans.

After 1975, Kim Cuong's troupe continued to travel around the region and offered her plays, including Bong Hong Cai Ao (A Rose for Mother) and Toi Lam Me (I'm A Mother). She wrote 50 plays during her career, mostly about poor women. Through her works, Cuong has found ways to win the hearts of audiences, both old and young, particularly fans in remote areas who enjoy theater via TV or radio.

For her contribution to developing the country's theater, she recently received the honor People's Artist from the Government.

In recent years, Kim Cuong has been involved in charity. She is the deputy chairwoman of the HCM City Association in Support of Disabled People and Orphan Children.

Thanh Van