Telling Vietnamese literary stories in Western theatrical language

The musical "Bỉ vo" adapted from the literary work of the same name by writer Nguyen Hong, performed by the Hai Phong Song and Dance Troupe in recent days, has surprised not only the audience but also received compliments from many professionals.

Scene from the musical Bi Vo (Hai Phong Song and Dance Troupe) based on the novel of the same name by writer Nguyen Hong.

Musical Challenge

The musical Belgian Shell does not illustrate the original work of writer Nguyen Hong but wants to connect with his thoughts and vision of a Ha Ly that is very different from the context of the texts but close to memories, old photos that carry the breath of Hai Phong identity. Deep inside is still the pursuit of human lives of Hai Phong, or even Vietnam in the past moments that have passed through there.

According to the President of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations Do Hong Quan, the artists were bold in choosing the novel by writer Nguyen Hong to stage, because musicals are a very difficult genre. Moreover, the story in Bi Vo is not only about the past, but also about education for the future, which is very meaningful. Sharing this opinion, People's Artist Trinh Thuy Mui, President of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association, said: "Never before have I seen a musical about the history of Vietnamese society." This is truly a big challenge for the crew because it is very difficult to fully convey the ideas of the original work while still being suitable for the language of musicals and capturing the emotions of the audience.

After the success of the dance plays My, ballet Kieu, musical De Men Diary, choreographer Tuyet Minh continues her journey of telling Vietnamese stories in the language of Western musicals by adapting famous literary works. That is the way the artist honors the beauty of Vietnamese culture despite the difficult and thorny path, requiring constant creativity. "National culture that is newly created in today's life will continue to exist and have vitality, that is the most effective way to preserve and promote its value", artist Tuyet Minh shared.

Opportunity to show artist's talent

With Bi Vo, choreographer Tuyet Minh was quite meticulous in inviting the crew to participate. “The thing I felt the most pressured was finding the musical flow to fully express the miserable emotions of the characters in the story. The two words musical, if understood as a genre of world stage performance, are not unfamiliar to the audience, but when associated with the traditional culture of the Vietnamese people, I need to adjust it so that the audience can feel the original musical style without losing the Vietnamese soul. The Vietnamese language is very rich and diverse, but it is always a difficult problem for musicians when they want to keep the director's original meaning on the melody they compose. I always try to keep it intact, only changing a few words to sing at the right pitch,” musician Luu Quang Minh shared. The musician used rock material for some parts that required a bit of dark, intense and torn emotions. In addition, the bustling materials of funky or the stylization of jazz brought many colors to other scenes of the play.

On the musical stage, the music of Bi Vo depicted the port city of Hai Phong - the busiest trading place of Indochina at that time with all social classes, with "big brothers" who were fierce, reckless but also very playboy and chivalrous. Nam Sai Gon and his gang and Tam Binh were the characters portrayed on the Bi Vo musical stage. The artists, actors, along with the stage effects and music, expressed the work's ideology, although society had injustices and contradictions, it still shone with love and support between people...

The show is also an opportunity for each artist of the troupe to overcome their own limits. Because an art form considered academic like musicals not only helps artists improve their expertise, but also adds many skills in singing, dancing, choreography, acting, music perception and especially improves the ability to interact with co-stars and the audience. Director Tuyet Minh believes that the first two "sold out" shows are a signal that the musical Bi Vo not only has artistic quality but the important thing at this time is to be loved by the public, opening up a real market for professional artistic activities.

According to Saigon Giai Phong Newspaper

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