Will musicals be money printers?

After many years of stagnation, Vietnamese theater is finding a new vitality in the form of musicals. A series of plays are constantly selling out, and theaters are competing to stage musicals. Although some people are skeptical that this is a short-term trend, others predict that it is the beginning of a true entertainment industry.

Singing everywhere

After the pandemic freeze, 2022 marks the start of a new wave opera exploded in Vietnam. The Youth Theater was the pioneer in continuously bringing to the stage plays such as Trai hoa vang, Roi toi se lon, Song. Typically, Song, inspired by Xuan Quynh's poetry, attracted a large audience, creating a new excitement for the stage picture that had not been very brilliant for many years.

Although coming later, the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet Theater has delved deeper into classic versions such as Les Miserables, The Rite of Spring... with the support of modern technology. In addition, many private units such as Buffalo and Idecaf have also quickly caught up with the trend, staging Chicago, High School Musical, Tuyet Sai Gon, Tien Nga... focusing on young audiences. The regular appearance of musical clubs at schools confirms that the need to enjoy this genre is gradually spreading widely.

“Giác Mơ Chí Phèo” is considered Vietnam's first Broadway musical.

The most resounding mark of the Vietnamese brand musical came in the last 6 months of 2024, called Giac Mo Chi Pheo, a work called "Vietnamese Broadway" performed by Thang Long Music and Dance Theater. With the script by Dinh Tien Dung, music by Duong Cam, art direction by Phung Tien Minh and People's Artist Tan Minh, the work is like someone put the entire set of dialogue, music, dance and stage lights into a blender, pressed the Broadway button, and thus created a stunning and captivating evening.

After only nearly half a year of performance from December 2024 to mid-2025, the play has "sold out" many nights and become a "ticket fever" in Hanoi . The performances at Ho Guom Theater on June 6-7, 2025 continued to attract a large audience. According to the production unit DuongCamART, the play continuously achieved an almost absolute occupancy rate, while the "teaser" clips on social networks attracted millions of views and positive comments.

According to producer Duong Cam, this is a milestone that opens the way for the Vietnamese musical brand to reach out to the world . The success in ticket sales, along with the "Excellent" award and a series of Gold/Silver Medals at the National Music and Dance Festival have partly affirmed the "timely" direction of Giac Mo Chi Pheo.

In line with the saying “once it blooms, it flourishes”, Vietnamese musicals have expanded their themes to almost every field. Previously, the plays Red Aspiration (honoring Uncle Ho’s soldiers) and The Rider (President Ho Chi Minh) exploited historical themes, with strong “political” elements but still applied eye-catching sound and image technology, which also created significant attention from the public. The children’s market, not wanting to be left behind, has continuously released: The Old Fisherman and the Shark, Zorba - the Detective Cat, Elsa’s Party, The Story of Trong Thuy - My Chau…, adding another entertainment option for young audiences.

The rise of the entertainment industry?

Children's musical "The Old Fisherman and the Shark".

It was not until Giac Mo Chi Pheo that many people had high hopes for Vietnamese musicals. Before that, since 2013, two plays, Goc Pho Danh Vang and Dem He Sau Cuoi by young director Nguyen Phi Phi Anh, had stirred up the dormant land called musicals in Vietnam. Phi Anh’s success also made many people predict that “not long from now” Vietnamese musicals could find their way to tour the world. Of course, that prediction has not come true, because the “not long from now” milestone has lasted for more than a decade.

The professional musical model requires a large investment: scriptwriters, musicians, choreographers, lighting, sound, dancers, etc. Meanwhile, infrastructure such as the Ho Guom Theater and the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet are strained. Many people are concerned that if they do not achieve a stable enough number of tickets, this genre will easily fall into the “loss-bearing” trap. Some plays, despite their good artistic quality, are still under pressure from revenue.

Assessing the future of musicals, author Chu Thom is optimistic: "Musicals attract audiences and are no longer an academic genre, thanks to the development of stage technology and changing tastes, especially the young generation accepting pure Vietnamese musicals."

In a talk with Vietnamese students, the Cultural Ambassador of the US Department of State, Michael Parks Masterson, commented: “When Broadway musicals were staged in Asian countries (Japan, Korea, Thailand, etc.), they were successful; if Vietnamese musicals have the right direction, they will create international quality products and serve domestic audiences well.”

Researcher Nguyen Khoa believes that Vietnamese musicals are on the right track when it comes to attracting young audiences and boldly innovating in form. However, he emphasizes: “If we only stop at renewing the form and avoid contemporary themes, the stage will still lack depth and not truly create its own identity.” According to him, the sustainable direction for Vietnamese musicals is to combine modern spirit with contemporary life materials, reflecting the burning issues that are affecting society.

Sharing the same view, director Phung Tien Minh believes that Vietnamese musicals will not be able to go the long way if they only follow the market effect. “To have a loyal audience, to build a profession, we must create products that both touch the emotions of Vietnamese people and have the ability to step out into the region,” he said. According to Phung Tien Minh, the future of Vietnamese musicals will lie in works associated with Vietnamese culture, but processed with modern language and new performance technology, instead of following the Broadway stereotype.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/nhac-kich-se-la-may-in-tien-3363320.html