Cam Thu - A life full of adversities

Artist Cam Thu said that we should cherish everything in life, but we shouldn't try to hold onto what doesn't belong to us.

Reporter: Artist Cam Thu is now stronger, more confident, and more decisive in everything, from her life to her career, not as weak as she was when she was still in her hometown. It seems that her second marriage was the right decision for her?

- Artist Cam Thu: My life has been full of adversities. The turning point in my life that forced me to make a decision was for my children. When the singing profession in my hometown became unstable, and the theater troupes were no longer operating as before, artist Linh Tam - my former husband - emigrated to the US after our divorce. Linh Ty - our eldest son - borrowed money to open a computer business but suffered losses and was left in debt. My daughter Thu Tam was still in school, and it was difficult for me to manage everything for the family alone, especially when Linh Ty got married and I had grandchildren. So I had to find a second haven to rely on. Fortunately, the man who came into my life at that time accepted my circumstances and cared for my life and my family. I am happy because my current husband - Philip Nam - is a successful businessman in the US - appreciates the singing profession, is a student of playwright Vien Chau and artist Dung Thanh Lam, so he also empathizes with my singing career.

"Linh Tam and Cam Thu" were one of the most beautiful couples on stage and in real life at that time. Do you regret breaking up?

- I like a poem that has these lines: "Happiness is sometimes like a river, flowing carefree to the sea, without needing to know whether it's full or empty." I have no regrets because when we were a perfect acting duo in many beloved plays, such as: "The Tower of the Broken Soul," "Legend of Love," "Shrimp Season," "Love Conspiracy," "The Song of Finding Mother," "The Pirate's Daughter,"..., Linh Tam and I gave our all. Every performance, we put ourselves in the mindset of "it's our last performance," so I have no regrets looking back on that past. On stage, we may still be acting duos, but it will be difficult to maintain the same chemistry as before because I now frequently perform with my husband. In America, we perform together in most traditional music and cải lương (Vietnamese opera) shows for overseas Vietnamese audiences.

Artist Cam Thu when she was a shining star on the Cai Luong stage. Photo: THANH HIEP

Everyone has flaws. Do you recognize that in yourself?

- I think nobody is perfect. In life, we always focus on outward appearances without seeing our inner flaws. My biggest flaw is that I often hide my sadness inside, bearing it alone. However, I've also learned that suffering can motivate people to change and live better lives.

In your opinion, should we let go of things that don't belong to us?

- We should cherish everything in life, but is it really necessary to cling to everything? I was once devastated when I realized that people I considered friends, whom I loved and respected, had turned their backs on me during my most difficult times. At that moment, I felt overwhelmed and thought I would collapse. But then, I suddenly realized that it was the loss of something that didn't belong to me, and I shouldn't regret it. A painful fall teaches you to pick yourself up and continue walking, and to be more cautious. I always teach my two children that.

Her two children (Linh Tý and Thu Tâm) have followed in their parents' footsteps in the arts, becoming film actors and dancers. However, their careers haven't been as successful as their parents', and does this worry her?

- I'm not worried about that. It's rare for the whole family to become famous at the same time. Looking back at my family tree, my father was a playwright, and many of his children and grandchildren followed in his footsteps in the singing profession, including his daughters-in-law and sons-in-law, but only I have achieved significant success. When Linh Tý was born, she became famous in the Bạch Long Children's Group even when she was very young. As she grew up, Linh Tý changed her stage name several times, but her career remained stable. Recently, the game show "Star Succession" invited my whole family to support Linh Tý's performance. Parents can see how talented their descendants are. I only hope that even if she doesn't become famous, she will still become a good person.

Audiences are still hoping that one day Cam Thu will perform on the Cai Luong stage in her hometown.

- Absolutely. Philip Nam and I will be holding a themed theatrical performance to reunite with friends and colleagues and do charity work in our homeland, helping those less fortunate. Abroad, we regularly participate in the "Southern Traditional Music" program and stage classic plays. Recently, before returning to Vietnam, I received praise from overseas Vietnamese audiences for my performance of the role of Tô Ánh Nguyệt. Soon, we will be re-staging plays for overseas Vietnamese audiences such as: "Legend of Love," "Nàng Xê Đa," "Ngọc Hân's Confessions," "Nàng Hai Bến Nghé," "Poisonous Flower in the Garden," etc. I'm very happy that overseas Vietnamese audiences are excited to see the complete versions of cải lương (Vietnamese traditional opera). Among the letters requesting to see more classic cải lương plays, there are many from young audiences, students from various states who are passionate about cải lương.

Audiences once saw her appear on the stage in a spoken drama, the play "The Rich Man's Son," based on the literary work of Ho Bieu Chanh. Could it be that Cam Thu now wants to adapt to more situations, not only performing in Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) but also venturing into spoken drama?

- That time, I came to the rescue for young director Hoang Hiep because the role I was playing was meant for a female artist in Vietnam, but at the last minute, she couldn't come to the US, so I stepped in to play her instead. It was very difficult to hide the essence of Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) that was ingrained in my blood; acting in plays required a different approach. It was also an opportunity for me to challenge myself. Luckily, I played the role very well. Long plays are attracting Vietnamese expatriate audiences in the US, so acting in plays is also a way for me to adapt and connect with my audience.

I heard you have a project you're passionate about that you plan to implement in the near future?

- My husband and I plan to create a collection of my father's theatrical works, such as "The Tower of the Broken Soul," "The Conspiracy of Love," and "The Song of Finding Mother," which are considered family heirlooms. My father loved foreign literature, so many of the cải lương (Vietnamese traditional opera) scripts he wrote were adaptations of Western literary works. My unique style is portraying characters from famous literary works using the language of cải lương theater. My father left behind hundreds of scripts, but unfortunately, the theater scene has shrunk, and there are no longer many troupes operating to stage them, so young actors don't have the opportunity to access such great roles. Therefore, my responsibility is to preserve my father's legacy for future generations.

A former star of Vietnamese traditional opera.

Artist Cam Thu comes from a family of performers. Her father was playwright Truong Vu; her mother was Mrs. Truong Cam Van, the head of the May Tan Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) troupe, established in 1964. Artist Cam Thu had the opportunity to enter the stage quite early, at the age of 14.

From the age of 20, she was famous on the stage of the Song Han Cai Luong Troupe - her family's troupe - through plays such as: "Thoai Khanh - Chau Tuan", "Tran Binh Trong", "Nhuy Kieu General", "Love Conspiracy"... In 1982, Cam Thu left the Song Han Troupe to join the Tieng Ca Song Cuu Troupe and became famous in plays such as: "I Am the King", "The Princess with Fragrant Hair", "The Magic Wand"... In 1984, Cam Thu joined the Lam Dong Cai Luong Troupe to perform alongside Vu Linh, becoming famous in two plays: "The Great Viet Proclamation", "Spring Comes to Ma Phi Peak"...

From 1986, she joined the Song Be 2 troupe (managed by Quoi), singing lead roles in plays such as: "The Love Story of A Nang", "Spring on the Sea", "Thuy Kieu 1 and 2", "The Red Fire of Dong Do", "The Forest at Night Turns White", and "The Bloody History of the Black Ship". In 1989, she worked with the Tan Da Ly Huong troupe, attracting thousands of spectators to each performance in plays such as: "The Tower of Broken Souls" (playing Queen Margaret), "The Father and Son of the Wandering Singers" (playing Tinh Tam), "The Aspiration of a Beautiful Woman" (playing Diem Chau), and "Vo Tong Kills His Sister-in-Law" (playing Phan Kim Lien)... In addition, she also played many roles with tragic fates that brought tears to the audience's eyes, such as: "Love Story on the River", "Four Peaches", "The Corpse of a Demon and a Human Lover", and "Lan Hue's Sorrow". In 1992, Cam Thu won the Gold Medal at the Tran Huu Trang Award along with Van Ha, Thoai My, Kim Tu Long, and Phuong Hang.

Cam Thu married Linh Tam in 1982 while singing with the Song Han troupe. They have two children, Vo Vu Linh Thanh (also known as Linh Ty) and Vo Vu Thu Tam. In 2013, she moved in with her new husband, Philip Nam, in the United States.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/van-hoa-van-nghe/cam-thu-cuoc-doi-nhieu-nghich-canh-2016061121370514.htm