The captivating Lunar New Year play 'The Prostitute at Maxim's Restaurant'

Actress Hong Phuc (left), playing the doctor, and actress Mai Duyen (right), playing the prostitute, surprised many with their acting talent - Photo: T. DIEU

Unlike the cultural and artistic viewing habits of audiences in Ho Chi Minh City, in Hanoi, the Lunar New Year theater season officially begins only after the Tet holiday and the return to normal activities.

While the Youth Theatre has opted for comedy and musical programs featuring newly staged comedic skits to attract audiences during the Lunar New Year theatre season, the Vietnam National Drama Theatre has prepared a more diverse "menu".

The "menu" includes the March 8th Rendezvous program with two classic world and Vietnamese comedies, * The Inspector* and *Clams , Snails, and Mussels*, plus the classic comedy *The Prostitute at Maxim's Restaurant*.

When the entire ignorant, empty-headed upper class follows a prostitute.

The title of the restaurant's brothel, Maxim, is taken from the original work La Dame de chez Maxim - a masterpiece by the great 19th-century French playwright Georges Feydeau.  

A comedy about the Parisian aristocracy and the dark side of society.

The comedy exposes the hurtful lies in family relationships - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

"Georges Feydeau's life was tragic, but in return he produced wonderful works," said People's Artist Tuan Hai, the director of this comedy.

Georges Feydeau spent many years frequenting bars, nightclubs, and restaurants, which allowed him to write captivating and vivid stories of Paris at night, leaving behind invaluable works of art, including the play "The Prostitute at Maxim's Restaurant ."

The play revolves around the story of a prostitute at Maxim's bar who, with her vulgar dances, suddenly becomes a role model and idol for the aristocratic upper class in a difficult situation.

The play depicts the journey of the then-empty French upper class, consumed by a frenzy of chasing after frivolous and superficial things, blindly following the lead of prostitutes without realizing it.

Throughout that journey, the hurtful lies within the family became increasingly apparent and escalated.

The entire ignorant and empty-headed upper class blindly follows the lead of the prostitute - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

Watching the play inevitably reminded many Vietnamese viewers of the semi-Europeanized society, a place where hypocrisy reigns supreme, and where the entire fake upper class is manipulated by a drug dealer in the market, as depicted in Vu Trong Phung's classic work, "Xuan Toc Do" ( Red-Haired Spring ).

The comedy "The Maxim's Inn" premiered in Paris exactly 125 years ago, in the spring of 1899. For over a century, the comedy has continued to be performed in Parisian theaters and theaters around the world.

Very French, but also very Vietnamese.

In Vietnam, the play was staged by a French director for Vietnamese actors in 1998. At that time, actress Chieu Xuan was chosen to play the lead female role - the prostitute.

While the 1998 production could be considered entirely French, with the director simply copying his style and costumes, and only featuring Vietnamese actors, director Tuan Hai's latest production, while faithful to the original and very French in terms of stage design, costumes, music , and choreography, is also heavily Vietnamese-ized.

The dialogue has been modernized and adapted to Vietnamese culture, no longer overly classical or academic, to suit today's Vietnamese audience. The director gracefully incorporates poetic, witty lines into the dialogue, creating many witty and distinctly Vietnamese conversations.

"I've translated almost 100% of the lyrics to make them easily understandable for today's Vietnamese audience," director Tuan Hai shared.

Many humorous situations arise from cover-ups and lies - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

The audience laughed throughout the performance, but behind the laughter were questions about the hypocrisy of the bourgeois, upper-class society of a bygone era, inevitably drawing parallels to Vietnamese society during the Westernization period of the first half of the 20th century, so vividly portrayed in Vu Trong Phung's *Xuan Toc Do* ( Red-Haired Spring ).

The "new" (not yet famous) cast of actors in the comedy "Maxim's Restaurant Prostitute" truly surprised audiences, critics, and the media alike with their excellent combination of acting and dancing abilities.

In particular, actress Mai Duyen's portrayal of the prostitute was a big surprise, as she performed with such subtlety and immersion in the role. It was a bold role, completely different from her previous image – the gentle characters she played in folk plays.

Artist Hong Phuc's portrayal of the doctor was another unexpected success of the play. Despite lacking a striking appearance, this, combined with the artist's talent, allowed him to create a very impressive portrayal of a high-society character, even from his outward appearance.

The play "The Prostitute at Maxim Restaurant" returns to Hanoi audiences on the nights of February 18th, 23rd, 24th, and 25th at the Vietnam National Drama Theatre.

The March 8th Rendezvous program will continue with this play. Specifically, the play "Nghêu sò ốc hến" will be performed on the evenings of March 1st, 2nd, 7th, and 16th at the Vietnam National Drama Theatre and on March 8th at the Dai Nam Theatre.

The play "The Inspector" will be performed on the evenings of March 9th, 10th, and 19th at the Dai Nam Theater and on March 15th at the Vietnam National Drama Theater.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/kich-tet-hap-dan-a-cave-nha-hang-maxim-20240218150749996.htm