Restoring historical cai luong plays of the Minh To family

Minh To is a large cai luong family with 6 generations of artists following the singing career and leaving behind famous plays. Now, Dai Viet theater of producer Hoang Song Viet has invested capital to restore historical plays to celebrate 50 years of national reunification.

People's Artist Thanh Tong - The leading bird making a spectacular transformation

Minh To originated from the opera founded by the Vinh Xuan producer and his wife, then passed it on to his son, Mr. Thang. Mr. Thang passed it on to his son, Minh To. But during Minh To's generation, the wave of Taiwanese, Chaozhou, and Guangdong films and plays entered Saigon with strange melodies that attracted audiences. At that time, Saigon Television also wanted to have a Chinese opera program like that to broadcast, so they assigned it to Mr. Minh To and Mr. Thanh Ton (Mr. Minh To's brother-in-law, Meritorious Artist Thanh Loc's father). The two men accepted the assignment but discussed not keeping the imported pieces intact but instead inserting the melodies of Cai Luong, choreography, and performance style of Hat Boi, which is why it was called "Cai Luong Ho Quang".

Artists Truong Son and Thanh Loan in the play Saddle Poem

PHOTO: HK

Thanh Tong is the fourth child of Mr. Minh To. At the age of 3, he stepped onto the stage to play a child role and was fascinated by it, later dropping out of school to pursue the profession early. However, he had his own path of self-study, loved reading and writing, and at the age of 20, he wrote a series of scripts that brought Vietnamese stories and characters into Cantonese, such as Luu Binh - Duong Le, Pham Cong - Cuc Hoa, An Duong Vuong, Trieu Thi Trinh, Luc Van Tien... The "Vietnamization" was once again warmly received by the audience.

After 1975, Thanh Tong attended training courses organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and was determined to further Vietnamize Ho Quang reformed opera. He composed a series of historical scripts about Ly Dao Thanh, Tran Thu Do, Nguyen Hue, Tran Quoc Toan, To Hien Thanh, Mac Mau Hop, Princess An Tu... and almost abandoned all Taiwanese melodies, replacing them with new melodies composed by his uncle, musician Duc Phu. He also changed the imported melodies he kept, humming and vibrating differently and bringing out a more Vietnamese sound. He also abandoned the imported dances, and composed his own dances. It was these innovations that led the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture to choose the name "cai luong tuong co" to distinguish it from the previous Ho Quang reformed opera.

Cai luong tuong co has won the audience spectacularly, and it is the historical plays that have made the Minh To family famous. This family has had more worthy artists such as: Xuan Yen, Thanh Loan, Minh Tam, Cong Minh, Thanh Son, Truong Son, Bach Le, Bach Lien, Thanh Bach, Dien Thanh, Buu Truyen, Que Tran, Trinh Trinh, Tu Suong, Thanh Thao, Dien Trung... including both biological children and sons-in-law, performing artists and costume, music , and dance experts... Not to mention the branch of People's Artist Thanh Ton has Thanh Loc, famous for spoken drama. It can be said that this is a special family in the historical flow of Vietnamese theater.

Saddle poem welcomes April 30

Among the historical plays of People's Artist Thanh Tong, the three plays Cau Tho Yen Ngua, Buc Ngon Do Dai Viet and To Hien Thanh Xu An are the most prominent. In previous years, audiences had to queue up to buy tickets, but now they will be restored one by one with the investment of producer Hoang Song Viet. Mr. Viet said: "I have loved these plays since I was a little kid, and audiences also love them because they are full of patriotism, protecting the country, and are very meticulous and artistically attractive. This April will open with Cau Tho Yen Ngua to celebrate the 50th anniversary of National Reunification Day". People's Artist Que Tran, daughter of People's Artist Thanh Tong, also expressed: "Our generation is concerned with the legacy left by our father, wishing to restore it, and fortunately we met producer Hoang Song Viet who shares the same passion. What's even more gratifying is that Cau Tho Yen Ngua is being directed by director Hoa Ha, she is one of the most talented directors today".

Meritorious Artist Tu Suong, People's Artist Que Tran and director, Meritorious Artist Hoa Ha at the press conference on the restoration of the historical play of the Minh To family.

PHOTO: HK

Director, Meritorious Artist Hoa Ha said: "I will ensure the original quality of the script that was once directed by People's Artist Thanh Tong and has been deeply imprinted in the hearts of the audience. However, I also create new things so that young audiences can understand history better. For example, clarifying the details of the historical moment of internal turmoil when Ly Thuong Kiet assisted Y Lan, and Ly Dao Thanh assisted Thuong Duong, causing the Song army to take advantage of it and send troops to invade. In the end, why did the two men come back together to fight the enemy? Or why did the two king's wives, who were close to each other, turn against each other?"

The artists participating in the play include mostly members of the Minh To family, such as Tu Suong, Que Tran, Thanh Thao, Dien Trung, Cong Minh, Thanh Son, Minh Tam, Xuan Truc... In addition, there are other artists such as Vo Minh Lam, Nha Thy, Bao Tri... who are all skilled and admired by the audience. The play Cau Tho Yen Ngua is expected to be performed on April 19 at Tran Huu Trang Theater (HCMC).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phuc-dung-nhung-vo-cai-luong-lich-su-cua-gia-toc-minh-to-185250302223100293.htm