Cai luong and circus join forces to portray the image of King Tran Nhan Tong

On October 7, in Hanoi, the Vietnam National Traditional Theatre held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new play called “Tran Nhan Tong”. The play is expected to become an artistic product attracting tourists in the near future.

Artists in the creative team of the play "Tran Nhan Tong".

“Tran Nhan Tong” was co-directed by People's Artist Tong Toan Thang, Director of the Vietnam Circus Federation, and Meritorious Artist Quang Khai based on the script by author: Dr. Bui Huu Duoc; Cai luong adaptation: Meritorious Artist Phan Ngoc Chi; Stage design: People's Artist Dat Tang; Music composition and arrangement: People's Artist Huynh Tu; Choreography: Master Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh; Costumes: Meritorious Artist Truong Minh Hung.

Sharing at the ceremony, People's Artist Trieu Trung Kien, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Traditional Theater, said that the character Tran Nhan Tong has a special relationship with the Vietnam Cai Luong Theater (now the Vietnam National Traditional Theater), because this is the third time the image of King Tran Nhan Tong has been staged. The first time was in the version of the Cai Luong play "Buddha King" which is more than 2 hours long, also written by author Bui Huu Duoc. Later, when Meritorious Artist Tran Quang Khai of the Theater studied stage directing at the Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema, he re-staged the play in the form of Cai Luong combined with circus as his graduation work.

People's Artist Trieu Trung Kien, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Traditional Theater, spoke.

And in this third time, director, Meritorious Artist Tran Quang Khai and director, People's Artist Tong Toan Thang continue to develop the work on a more compact scale, only about 1 hour long, but with careful investment in form of expression and stage technology.

According to People's Artist Trieu Trung Kien, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has directed central art units this year to build two groups of works: one group serving political events and major ceremonies of the country; one group aiming to exploit and serve tourists, to bring the stage closer to social life. And "Tran Nhan Tong" belongs to the second group, staged according to the criteria of both fulfilling the political-ideological function, honoring the merits of ancestors, and having an entertaining and attractive color to attract domestic and foreign tourists.

“We hope that this play will not only tell the story of a wise king, but will also be a valuable theatrical-tourism product, so that visitors to Hanoi can enjoy a work that is both beautiful in art and profound in thought,” People's Artist Trieu Trung Kien emphasized.

People's Artist Tong Toan Thang, Director of Vietnam Circus Federation shared.

Speaking more about the idea of ​​staging the play “Tran Nhan Tong”, People’s Artist Tong Toan Thang said that he had been planning to perform a play about the character Tran Nhan Tong for 3 or 4 years. Because the Vietnam Circus Federation is currently located on a street named after Tran Nhan Tong. “I always hope that on this street, the Federation will have an art work named after the nation’s wise king, so that every time the audience comes to the theater, they will not only watch a show but also learn and contemplate the personality and intelligence of King Tran Nhan Tong”, the Director of the Vietnam Circus Federation shared.

With this play, the creative team focused on the period of Tran Nhan Tong's life from his birth, adulthood and coronation, rather than delving into the period after he became a monk, because that part has been mentioned in other stage works. In particular, the play focuses mainly on the period when he was king, to highlight the image of a king who was both wise and kind, a combination of intelligence, bravery and humanity, a rare king in human history: three times defeating the Yuan-Mongol army; at the most glorious period of the Tran dynasty, he decided to become a monk, handing over the country to his son...

Evaluating the script by Dr. Bui Huu Duoc, former Head of the Department of Buddhism, Government Committee for Religious Affairs, People's Artist Tong Toan Thang said that this is a script by someone who has a deep understanding of Buddhist history and ideology, so it has both philosophical depth and recounts the historical journey and reflects the soul of a wise king. When brought to the stage, the creative team tried to shorten and condense it to suit the reception psychology of modern audiences.

People's Artist Huynh Tu affirmed that he will bring many new colors to the music of the play.

In particular, with the combination of the language of cải lương and circus, the play will bring many interesting layers of performance. For example, there will be layers of cải lương actors singing, illustrated by circus actors performing in parallel. Many circus techniques such as trapeze, acrobatics, juggling, climbing nets... will be mobilized to recreate the heroic battles of the Trần army and people. In addition, the participation of projection technology, light, sound, contributes to increasing the depth of emotions.

To bring a new breath to "Tran Nhan Tong", People's Artist Huynh Tu affirmed that he will not follow the beaten path but will find a way to harmonize traditional music and modern sound techniques to create an impressive color for the play's music.

Each melody is carefully selected to clearly depict the personality and mentality of each period of King Tran Nhan Tong's life, from when he was Crown Prince Tran Kham to when he became a monk. The music will not only illustrate but also become a storytelling language, guiding the audience's emotions through each slice of history.

Tran family council presented flowers to the play's creative team.

For the first time taking on the role of director for a major play of the Theater, Meritorious Artist Tran Quang Khai shared that this was like a big "mountain" that he had to overcome. With more than 25 years of acting experience, having successfully portrayed the image of Buddha Emperor Tran Nhan Tong, and being a young director, he hopes to bring a new breeze to this work, especially when he has the cooperation of People's Artist Tong Toan Thang, People's Artist Huynh Tu (father of singer Soobin Hoang Son), choreographer Tuyet Minh... people with modern creative thinking, sensitive to the tastes of young people.

“We will strive to bring a show that is both entertaining and attractive to tourists, while also spreading profound human values, demonstrating the beauty of a comprehensive, modern and accessible artistic language, where form, music and light tell stories together, bringing the audience meaningful, familiar yet new spiritual food,” Meritorious Artist Quang Khai expressed.

Immediately after the groundbreaking ceremony, the creative team and the artists and actors will rush to practice to complete the play. The play “Tran Nhan Tong” is expected to be introduced to the theater-loving public in November 2025.

TRANG ANH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/cai-luong-va-xiec-hop-luc-khac-hoa-hinh-tuong-vua-tran-nhan-tong-post913571.html