Both familiar and strange with the opera "The Soul of Jade Poetry"

In the program commemorating the 2nd anniversary of the passing of playwright Le Duy Hanh, director Le Nguyen Dat presented the entire play "Hon Tho Ngoc" at Tran Huu Trang Theater.

Soul of Jade Poetry version 1 premiered to the audience on the evening of September 6 - Photo: LINH DOAN

The poetic soul of author Le Duy Hanh is not unfamiliar to audiences who love reformed opera. In this complete production, director Le Nguyen Dat has brought many experiments to the play to participate in the 2025 International Experimental Theater Festival in Ninh Binh in November.

A new poetic soul

The Soul of Jade Poetry is an excerpt from Cai Luong that many young actors use to participate in talent competitions. Usually, they only use the last chapter of the play to stage. In the Soul of Jade Poetry on the evening of September 6, Le Nguyen Dat staged all 3 chapters of the play in the Cai Luong musical drama genre.

Artist Binh Tinh takes on the role of Ngoc Han, performing with about 60 artists from Huynh Long troupe, young artists, students from Ho Chi Minh City University of Theater and Cinema, dance groups...

The play recounts the journey of Queen Ngoc Han and her young child escaping the enemy's pursuit when Quang Trung Nguyen Hue passed away.

If before, Hon Tho Ngoc was often a class for solo artists, this time Binh Tinh still played the key role but with 60 additional supporting actors, sometimes as a choir, sometimes as a deep forest and mountains, sometimes as a dark force chasing and persecuting a weak woman with a baby in her arms and carrying the soul of the emperor she loved and respected to the utmost.

A scene in the play Soul of Jade Poetry, the animals supporting Ngoc Han such as the pink horse and elephant do not use props like before but are performed by the actors - Video : LINH DOAN

The stage has no scenery, only LED screens, sound, music , and lights to support and unleash the artist's full performance.

Director Le Nguyen Dat shared that he is fascinated by the "one-man" school of playwriting of playwright Le Duy Hanh. His scripts require great skill, level, effort, absorption, and personal talent of the artist.

With Soul of Jade Poetry on the evening of September 6, he said that it was version 1 for professionals and the audience to evaluate and give feedback, and the crew would gradually edit it through each performance.

The image of Queen Ngoc Han in Ngoc's Poetry Soul is a challenge for artist Binh Tinh.

He remembers that he had to change 16 versions of the play Eclipse to be able to present it to the International Experimental Theatre Festival with some satisfaction. The play will soon be participating in the ASEAN Theatre Festival in China.

Training the successor class

When choosing Binh Tinh for Hon Tho Ngoc , director Le Nguyen Dat encountered many concerns, thinking that she was not suitable for the role.

The director explained that Binh Tinh is small but has experienced a lot of loss, so she will share Ngoc Han's pain.

Furthermore, the story's setting does not take place in the palace but is a chase, so it requires a lot of dance techniques and Binh Tinh can meet that.

Artist Binh Tinh emotionally said that she calls composer Le Duy Hanh "teacher", because he is the teacher of her mother, artist Bach Mai. She is very grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Le Duy Hanh for giving her the opportunity to perform Hon Tho Ngoc .

She said that when she received the script, there were times when she wanted to send it back because she was afraid it wouldn't be good. "I reached out to return it but pulled back because I felt sorry, I wanted to act, to receive this golden opportunity.

And finally I decided to take the role, I don't know how people will evaluate my role but I tried my best, because I cherish this opportunity" - Binh Tinh expressed.

Young actor Trong Nhan was given the opportunity to transform into the spirit of Nguyen Hue to support Ngoc Han.

During the 90 minutes of Hon Tho Ngoc , Binh Tinh tried her best to get through the difficult scenes. But perhaps she needs more time to become more proficient.

Viewers also hope that Binh Tinh will be a little "softer" to show the queen's elegant features. The fragility and weakness will fill the audience's emotions, making them tear up with the image of a lonely woman overcoming many arrows and seas of fire, determined to keep her loyalty and integrity.

In the play, besides Binh Tinh, the director created opportunities for 60 young people to participate, many of whom are students. He emphasized that Hon Tho Ngoc does not stop at a play but is a training course to provide vocational training for young people, continuing the flame of Cai Luong.

Participating in the play, musician Thanh Liem said he had broken the mold by combining modern music with traditional art forms.

He also boldly chose to include all young musicians, aged 25 to 32. They had graduated from the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, were talented, and he believed they needed a place to train in order to inherit and develop Cai Luong music.

LINH DOAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vua-quen-vua-la-voi-vo-cai-luong-hon-tho-ngoc-20250907074808652.htm