Family of "divas" with four generations in the arts
"Confucius said: To be a bad doctor, one person dies. To be a bad leader, one country dies. To be a bad cultured person, one generation dies. Luckily, Kim Cuong was born into a family with four generations of experience in this industry: my great-grandfather and great-grandmother were the owners of opera troupes, and then my parents' generation, Mr. Phuoc Cuong, Mrs. Nam Phi, and Mrs. Bay Nam, switched to reformed opera, and then me. Therefore, despite many changes, Kim Cuong has always been devoted to the stage," People's Artist Kim Cuong confided.
People's Artist Bay Nam and Kim Cuong as children
In the memoir "Drifting with the Stream of Life", People's Artist Bay Nam - Kim Cuong's mother - talked about the early difficult days when she first established the Cai Luong theater troupe: "At that time, theaters in Saigon were very scarce. Behind Saigon market, there was the Modern theater, designed like a long rice basket. At that time, there were no microphones, the actors and actresses shouted until their throats were hoarse. Thanh Xuong theater was so small that it was not easy to rent. Some places renovated temples and pagodas to make theaters, such as Dakao had Asam, in Cho Lon there was Majestic theater... Luckily, a rich man named Nguyen Van Hao raised money to build a theater named after him on Tran Hung Dao street today". Three months later, Mrs. Nam Phi's first theater troupe, named Tam Phung, consisting of three veteran artists Nam Phi, Bay Nam, and Muoi Truyen of the Cai Luong industry, opened at the "aircraft carrier" theater Nguyen Van Hao with its first performances.
People's Artist Kim Cuong recalls: "Nguyen Van Hao Theater was also where I performed my first play when I started my career. At that time, there were two biggest theaters, Nguyen Van Hao and Quoc Thanh. They were so prosperous that they supported black market ticket sellers, becoming a real profession. Cai Luong supported the black market brothers for many years." Yet, when she was at her peak, "diva" Kim Cuong decided to establish the Kim Cuong Drama Troupe and later the Kim Cuong Film Company.
Artist Kim Cuong (top row, right cover) in a movie poster shown in theaters before 1975
Collector Huynh Minh Hiep
As long as there is audience, there is everything
In the early 1960s, Saigon did not have long plays; the stage for spoken drama was in Hanoi. "Just like when Cai Luong first developed, it had to sing vọng cổ and sing at parties. Gradually, Cai Luong became popular. By Kim Cuong's time, spoken drama started with short plays, supporting performances for cinemas. Kim Cuong sang Cai Luong, and was invited to perform short plays and comedies at Nam Viet and Hoa Binh theatres. At that time, Kim Cuong thought that she had to do something to contribute to life, not just to entertain. Therefore, in 1956, I decided to leave the Cai Luong stage to switch to spoken drama," People's Artist Kim Cuong confided.
People's Artist Kim Cuong still struggles with stage art
The first week Kim Cuong Drama Troupe opened Thanh Binh Theater, later renamed Quoc Te Theater, Pham Ngu Lao Street, District 1. "Because it was new, even though the owner loved it, he still collected enough money for 7 shows to rent the theater. At that time, I didn't have money to pay for all 7 nights, so I went home and borrowed my mother's jewelry to sell it all, piling up the deposit. The first play, I Am Mother, performed continuously for 7 nights at Thanh Binh Theater and was successful beyond imagination," artist Kim Cuong recalled. Kim Cuong Drama Troupe then gained a place in the hearts of music lovers with plays such as: Durian Leaves, Under Two Colors of Ao Dai, Camellia Woman... "purely Southern".
However, before 1975, the Kim Cuong troupe did not perform regularly in theaters but often appeared in grand concert programs. She said: "It must be recognized that after 1975, the South had a long-running theater stage operating every night. It can be said that this was the golden age of theater. We had performances every night, and on holidays and Tet we performed 3 shows/day. The plays that were most popular in theaters at that time were: Bong hong cai ao, La dua rieng, Huyen thuy me, Hai mau ao...".
Kim Cuong when she was famous for Cai Luong
Looking back on her life's journey with the theater, artist Kim Cuong, although retired, is still passionate about this art form. She talked about the sudden death of her father, the theater manager Phuoc Cuong, at a theater in the Central region, and then her mother Nam Phi - her second mother, also passed away while watching a play at the Nam Quang theater. Artist Kim Cuong confided: "The life of an artist is lonely besides the glory. But just seeing the stage lit up, seeing the audience loving and rushing to buy tickets to see you perform, it fuels the "fire of the profession". The theater is not dead, as long as there are artists, audiences, and theaters, everything will exist". (to be continued)
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