“Banh Mi Cafe” – Vietnamese – Korean musical reenacts the national liberation revolution

The musical “Banh Mi Cafe” leads the audience through many emotions, sometimes calm, sometimes tearful, sometimes full of enthusiasm, and then explodes at the end when the entire audience stands up and sings the National Anthem with pride.

Musical reenacts the national liberation revolution. Photo: NHKVN

After a period of staging, the musical “Banh Mi Cafe” produced by the Vietnam Drama Theater and Metaforce Vietnam Company, was introduced to the public in the capital. This is a project to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the successful August Revolution and National Day September 2.

This is also the first musical project jointly produced by Vietnamese and Korean artists on the theme of revolution, associated with an important milestone of the nation. The work has the participation of a Korean team including scriptwriter Seo Sang Wan, Artistic Director Park Hyun Woo, Director Cho Joon Hui, stage artist Lim Chung Il, choreographer Kim Sung Il... On the Vietnamese side, the project is directed by Meritorious Artist Kieu Minh Hieu, People's Artist Hoang Lam Tung co-directs, and author Le Trinh co-writes the script.

The play takes the audience back to the period of Vietnamese history before the August Revolution. Photo: NHKVN

“Banh Mi Cafe” takes the audience back to the historical period of Vietnam in the years before the August Revolution in 1945, the lives of the people were hungry and miserable. In that context, under the enlightenment and leadership of the Party, headed by President Ho Chi Minh, the patriotic people of the petty bourgeoisie contributed not only money but also were willing to sacrifice their lives to join the resistance, to follow the revolution, thereby contributing to the victory of the General Uprising, smashing the colonial and feudal domination, taking power into the hands of the people and giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Re-enacting a period of extreme hunger and poverty. Photo: NHKVN

The characters representing the petty bourgeoisie in this work were taken from real historical figures. They represented the spirit of the Vietnamese people at that time, facing countless difficulties and hardships but always maintaining their faith in victory.

One of the special artistic highlights of the musical is the way the creative crew portrayed the image of President Ho Chi Minh. Although his image did not stand directly on stage, his thoughts, ideals and spirit were present in each character, dialogue, and dramatic situation, conveying emotions to the audience.

The play has many touching and proud moments for the audience. Photo: NHKVN

Director Cho Joon Hui and his crew have resolved the connection between the play’s name and its content. According to the crew’s idea, choosing the name “Banh Mi Café” combining familiar Vietnamese dishes and drinks is a way to express the message about the simple, resilient, patriotic Vietnamese people.

The music is both epic and intimate and modern. The stage design is minimalist but evokes many layers of meaning; combined with lighting and props, it truly recreates the historical context of more than 80 years ago. The choreography combines everyday language with symbolic language, helping the audience feel the characters' psychology.

What impressed the audience was the actors of the Vietnam Drama Theater such as Meritorious Artist Dung Nam, Meritorious Artist Mai Huong, Meritorious Artist Truong Thu Ha, artists Ho Lien, Thanh Giang, The Nguyen, Hong Phuc, Tien Dat... who were only familiar with acting in spoken drama, had a breakthrough when fully performing their roles in a musical. They acted, spoke, sang, performed body language, and danced in harmony and smoothness.

The audience stood up to sing the National Anthem. Photo: NHKVN

The musical received a warm response from the audience. Photo: NHKVN

Meritorious Artist Kieu Minh Hieu, Director of the Vietnam Drama Theater, shared: “The musical “Banh Mi Cafe” is a special project, staged with all the passion of artists from the Vietnam Drama Theater and leading Korean theater experts, with the desire to bring the audience deep emotions and unforgettable echoes.”

Director Cho Joon Hui shared: “If Korea has the great man Baekbeom Kim Gu, then Vietnam has President Ho Chi Minh. His ideology of national independence and self-reliance is an important standard for Korea and Vietnam today to look back on history and orient the future. Hopefully the musical will become a cultural bridge to help connect the two countries.”

It is expected that the musical “Banh Mi Cafe” will serve Vietnamese audiences on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2. After that, the work will be introduced in France, Korea, Japan, etc. As shared by the General Director of the project production, Nguyen Thi Mai Quyen, wishing to bring Vietnamese art to the world .

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/cafe-banh-mi-nhac-kich-viet-han-tai-hien-cuoc-cach-mang-giai-phong-dan-toc-712925.html