Viet Nam’s first theatrical work made up of circus and cai luong (reformed arts) – Cay Gay Than (The Magic Stick) – has recently been launched in Ha Noi.
Circus tricks will enrich cai luong (reformed arts) in the new piece. — Photo courtesy of the Viet Nam Circus Federation
The Magic Stick is run by the Viet Nam Circus Federation and the Viet Nam Cai Luong Theatre.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the director of Viet Nam Circus Federation, People's Artist Ta Duy Anh, said the play is expected to lay the foundation for more collaborations between the two art forms.
“The Magic Stick resulted from the collaboration between Viet Nam Circus Federation and the Viet Nam Cai Luong Theatre following an order by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
"It is the first work within a joint art project of two units entitled Huyen Su Viet (Vietnamese legendary history) that includes four works praising the four immortals in traditional Vietnamese mythology – Tan Vien (the God of the Mountain), Saint Giong, Chu Dong Tu and the Mother Goddess Lieu Hanh,” he said.
“The artists and creators will devote themselves in creating a serious and quality work of art that can be introduced to both domestic and international audiences,” Anh added.
The Magic Stick is the stage adaptation written by the late renowned author Hoang Luyen inspired by the legend of the love between Chu Dong Tu and Princess Tien Dung.
The original script was revised and cut in half by author Le The Song, Luyen’s son-in-law, to suit the mode of performance.
The play will be staged by many experienced Vietnamese artists and performed by more than 100 talented artists from both Viet Nam Cai Luong Theatre and the Viet Nam Circus Federation.
Modern sound and lighting technologies will also be integrated into the play for advanced visual and sound effects.
“The project Vietnamese Legendary History is an art innovation that combines many innovative elements with the aims to honour the traditional cultural values of the nation and attract more audiences to the theatrical stage,” said co-director of the play Trieu Trung Kien, who is the acting director of Viet Nam Cai Luong Theatre.
According to Kien, Vietnamese performing arts are facing many difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the artists are determined to overcome with innovations to draw more viewers to the theatres.
“The Magic Stick is an emerging endeavour of art makers. This combination will help to improve the weaknesses and promote the advantages of two types of arts. Certainly, from the experiments of the creative crew, the audience and colleagues will see the transformation of both reformed and circus arts," he added.
The Magic Stick will be staged at the end of November.