Young people bring Nguyen Huy Thiep's No King to the stage

No King is considered one of the typical short stories of writer Nguyen Huy Thiep. This work was once again brought to the World Youth Stage by young director Nguyen Dang Quang.

Throughout the story, the devil wanders around and sometimes people cannot tell who is human and who is a devil - Photo: LINH DOAN

The novel "No King" was adapted by author Nguyen Huy Thiep into a stage play called "Ghosts live with people" . Nguyen Dang Quang staged it as his graduation play in directing at the University of Theatre and Cinema, Ho Chi Minh City.

Love for Nguyen Huy Thiep's works

Choosing to adapt a script by a great author with many issues and thoughts that are out of step with the times is a bold and risky choice for Dang Quang. Quang said that his teachers at school also expressed their concern, fearing that the script would be too much for him.

Having been exposed to works from short stories to stage scripts for a long time, Quang has been fascinated and always cherished the hope that one day he would be able to bring his works to the stage. Not only Ghosts with People, but he is also fascinated by Nguyen Huy Thiep's Crossing the River .

The play has impressive stage design, music , sound and lighting treatment... - Photo: LINH DOAN

The new version of the show has a whole "team of demons" on stage - Photo: LINH DOAN

During the stressful days of choosing a graduation script, Quang sometimes hesitated, thinking of choosing an easier, more entertaining script that would be easier to work on. But then his love for Nguyen Huy Thiep's writings kept holding him back.

Nguyen Huy Thiep's works often have open endings, so until the last days, Quang was still wondering. Luckily, thanks to teacher Tran Ngoc Giau's suggestions and guidance, "Ghosts with People" chose a beautiful ending on the filming stage.

Just passing through each person, each life, the ugly and the beautiful, the good are still mixed somewhere in life. Life still goes on, being human or being a devil ultimately depends on each person's choice.

3 people are father and son, family but each has their own calculations and selfishness - Photo: LINH DOAN

Ton and Khiem, two characters who are the bright spots of goodness in The Devil Lives with People - Photo: LINH DOAN

Nguyen Dang Quang (in a vest) and actors greet the audience at the end of the play - Photo: LINH DOAN

Nguyen Huy Thiep's works through the feelings of young people

From the perspective of young people, Dang Quang realizes the author's hidden ideas by having a "team of demons" appear directly on stage.

Throughout the story, the devil wanders somewhere in the stuffy, cramped house, sometimes inciting and urging the devil in each person to rise up, sometimes standing helplessly, watching as if watching a human play.

And it's terrifying, people in the dark are sometimes scarier than demons. Not only the demon team, Quang also uses music and contemporary dance as a powerful way to complement the character's inner feelings. Each actor in the play is given space to express the inner struggles of their role.

For those who have loved Nguyen Huy Thiep's No King or have seen The Devil Lives with People on stage, they will probably feel that the stuffy atmosphere in the new version has been somewhat reduced, but it is undeniable that the young director's efforts to breathe new life into the old script, prolonging the vitality and value of Nguyen Huy Thiep's work in today's life.

Nguyen Dang Quang (yellow shirt)... strayed into reformed opera with the role of Ta Thien Lang in the play San Hau - Photo: LINH DOAN

The Devil Lives with People was directed by the late famous director Pham Thi Thanh several decades ago. Around 2011, director Nguyen Anh Tu directed the play The House of Five Brothers for the Youth Theater, the script was inspired by author Nguyen Thu Phuong from The Kingless .

After many years, No King returns with the original script name Ghosts with People, making many people who love author Nguyen Huy Thiep wait.

The Ghost Lives with People is the story of a family during the subsidy period. 6 men lived in a cramped house of only 30 square ^meters . Then one day Can, the eldest son in the family, married Sinh. The family was suddenly in turmoil.

And just like that, each person in that family gradually revealed their true nature. Where was the warmth of family in those calculations? Sickness and petty narrow-mindedness made people become cold-blooded and cruel. The story seemed to be only personal, in a small house, but in a broader view, it was the pain of society.

Besides studying directing, the young man Dang Quang from the Western region is still working hard and quietly on the stage.

He played small roles and was the director of the 5B Drama Theater with plays such as "Tia oi con la chong", "Dai nao Long Cung "... He is currently collaborating with the Ban Mai Children's Theater.

Not only that, being a drama artist, Nguyen Dang Quang also dared to venture into the reformed opera industry with the recently resounding play, San Hau .

But he played a very important role, the role of Ta Thien Lang, the "leader" who overthrew and took the throne. Besides famous artists of the reformed opera village such as Kim Tu Long, Trinh Trinh, Tu Suong, Le Thanh Thao, Xuan Truc..., Ta Thien Lang played by rookie Nguyen Dang Quang is also a role that the audience will remember.

LINH DOAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguoi-tre-dua-khong-co-vua-cua-nguyen-huy-thiep-len-san-khau-20251205075645265.htm