Meritorious Artist Huu Chau - Memories of stage and life: The troupe of famous women

Editor's note: When the Thanh Minh Thanh Nga troupe came to an end in Ho Chi Minh City in 1985, Meritorious Artist Huu Chau, from a "golden spoon son", officially entered a life full of hardships. From being a member of a famous family, he now became the "young pillar" supporting his small family. And it can be said that People's Artist Kim Cuong was the one who extended a hand to him in the most difficult time.

I call People's Artist Kim Cuong "Miss Hai". I followed her troupe through many journeys of thousands of miles. It can be said that it was my great school. The artistic period in Miss Hai's troupe is worthy of representing my youth, even though I was only in the troupe for a short time.

Miss Kim, my father's best friend. The famous actress Kim Cuong and the Queen of the Stage Thanh Nga were not a perfect pair but often appeared together.

For her, my respect and affection have transcended the years.

Whenever she called, I would come and take attendance. My niece and I also did many things together outside of work. The more I understood her, the more I appreciated her golden heart and followed it.

People's Artist Kim Cuong, Meritorious Artist Thanh Loc, Meritorious Artist Huu Chau... celebrated her early birthday on Tet 2018

PHOTO: DOCUMENTARY

Around 1986 I think.

At that time, I graduated, lived in a thatched house, and struggled to make a living.

She opened her arms to welcome me literally and figuratively.

- Chau, Huu Chau, you graduated, finished studying, and just came back from an internship in Ca Mau , right?

- Yes.

I graduated with honors, and I was somewhat confident in my abilities, so I dared to join her group. But I knew that she didn't accept me just because of that. I knew her heart, she thought much more broadly and far ahead, and had some hope for me, not just because she thought I was "good" or just because she wanted to help and take care of me.

Newly graduated actors were admitted to the Diamond troupe. The dream of many people at that time.

I set off to join the Diamond group, extremely cheerful and excited, temporarily forgetting, to be exact, sometimes even forgetting the poverty of my family struggling to make ends meet.

My mother and siblings also reluctantly saw me off like a young warrior searching for a way to save the country, because my family, since the Thanh Nga troupe disbanded, had been content to hide in a shell of anonymous poverty. […]

"CO HAI" BIG BAND - STARS GATHER

The troupe of Miss Hai was a big troupe at that time, wherever it went, it was crowded with audiences, especially in the Central region which everyone thought was all barren and rocky. The troupe was very big, a musical and drama troupe mixed with variety, so all the star artists gathered there [...]. When I was there, the drama side was more dominant, with Ngoai Bay Nam, Mr. Ba Xay, Mr. Huynh Thanh Tra, Ms. Tu Trinh, Le Cong Tuan Anh... many, many talented people.

At the end of Saigon's dry season, the troupe went to the Central region. Miss Hai called it "escape from the rain". Singing along, both leisurely and a little busy. Phan Thiet, Phan Rang... scorching sun, dust... just enough to make the audience linger and miss. Arriving at Dong Hoi, Quang Binh , the rain in Saigon stopped and it was time to return.

Portrait of People's Artist Kim Cuong in the memoir Living for others, Living for oneself

PHOTO: KYNUKIMCUONG.VN

Do young people today ever see the wives and children of a singing troupe when they go on tour?

The "wandering" journey is crowded but not chaotic, especially in a large troupe like Kim Cuong troupe, which has its own rules and order. The discipline of Kim Cuong troupe reminds me of my grandmother's heroic Thanh Minh Thanh Nga troupe, which is also strict and has proper order, but is full of generosity, romanticism, moderation and forgiveness.

The tour group had all the old, young, children, adults, artists, workers... traveling on big trucks loaded with boxes, canvas, mosquito nets, large plastic sheets called "smooth leather" multi-purpose to protect from sun and rain, to be used as bathroom walls, to be spread out as beds... guaranteed to be "more fun" than the stories of today's backpackers. That was the scene when the group went on tour (singing in the provinces), but when singing in Saigon, everyone lived in their own house, ate their own food, and drove their own car to get there, finished singing and went to another place to sing, then returned.

The people (audience) were equally numerous and bustling. Wherever the troupe's loudspeaker car went, countless children followed in processions. Especially when "singing on the beach" (singing in an open field or stadium), the artists' salaries were increased by a few "times". The mobile stage had "specialized" terms such as "com hoi" (common meal of the troupe), "do vo" (fragile props), "do hoi" (costumes)... […]

I "progressed" very quickly. The first few months, I was a foot soldier, every night escorting Miss Dieu's mother to hand her over to the evil Councilor. At Phan Rang, I got the role of Mr. Nam (replacing Mr. Mai Tran), and then at the new station, there was the role of Sang. In total, there were three roles in the extremely popular play The Durian Leaf . When it came to the play In the Name of Justice , I became Doctor Huy.

Salary increased rapidly. Life was like a dream. […]

Off stage, my niece and I are foodies. Every now and then, she winks at me. I see the signal and happily and proudly go to the duck egg stall with her. Like a mother chicken and her baby duck. In fact, she and I, mother and son, Miss Dieu and Sang have performed for hundreds of shows.

Many times I went out with her to eat this or that dish, I saw Miss Be selling balut eggs. Under her two-colored dress, she seemed to have stepped straight from the stage to squatting down to eat at the market. "... Please, Mr. Sinh, sit down...", her charming dialogue, her classic, attractive invitation right next to me. Never before have I seen such a great portrait of a senior so close to the junior. The two of them picked up and passed it back and forth to each other's bowls: "Eating balut, you like the yellow egg, right? Here, eat...".

What fun. (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nsut-huu-chau-hoi-uc-san-khau-va-cuoc-doi-doan-hat-cua-ky-nu-185250914181955383.htm