People's Artist Thanh Tong - Great personality

Not everyone knows about the artist's life and the struggles and worries on the path to achieving the ideal ambition of a dedicated professional like Thanh Tong.

1. I don't use the word "late" with him, because I feel like his gentle smile still lingers somewhere in this world . The day he passed away, a newspaper asked me to write an article about him. I told them: "As for Thanh Tong, I just want to write him a poem." The poem "Farewell" was later printed in the newspaper, with the lines: "... It's raining in Saigon, Thanh Tong/ Remembering the old afternoons when we used to sit and drink beer/ Only talking about our jobs, not a word about money...".

Everyone thought Thanh Tong didn’t know about beer or wine. But back then, every ten days or so, he would come alone, or with his wife, Nhung, ring the bell, and we would all go to a small shop on the corner of Ngo Thi Nhiem Street to drink a few beers. The conversation revolved around his profession and his pain when the traditional opera stage was on the decline. Like the late director Nguyen Dinh Nghi, he loved his profession so much that, in addition to the sad and happy stories of the stage, he would just sit there with his eyes wide open, innocent like a child.

People's Artist Thanh Tong in traditional opera costume Photo: THANH HIEP

That was the first 10 years we worked together to create the Tran Huu Trang Award for Cai Luong theater. I took care of the organization of the award, and Thanh Tong was both a member of the director team and a member of the selection committee. Together with People's Artists Huynh Nga, Diep Lang, Bach Tuyet, Thanh Vy... in the director team, he was always passionate and dedicated to the performances of the actors participating in the award. When it came to the selection committee, it was fair and clear-headed, without distinction between city actors or provincial troupes, without the concept of "homegrown talent", to choose the golden faces for Cai Luong theater at that time. The evaluations of the selection committee, the press committee, and the audience committee often gave an absolute common denominator. The brilliant success of the Tran Huu Trang Award in the first 10 years was like an indelible mark on the Southern Cai Luong stage after 1975. More than anyone else, artists Huynh Nga, Diep Lang, Bach Tuyet, Thanh Tong, Thanh Vy… need to be awarded for their contributions to the development of national art.

However, Thanh Tong once judged very "inappropriately" in front of the live television camera, at the Hoa Binh Theater stage. He was always busy taking care of every actor participating in the competition like his own child, but when it came to his own daughter, he... ignored her. He whispered to me: "My friend, Que Tran is competing tonight, please let me skip the judging." I jumped up: "You're funny. Doing that is imposing your personal opinion on the children. If your child is worthy, then just judge her."

After the performance excerpt and the drawing of lots for the stage knowledge test, all the members of the jury gave Que Tran a perfect score, except for Thanh Tong, who raised his scoreboard with an 8. Then he covered his face and cried in front of the television camera. The entire audience of more than 2,000 people looked at him in amazement, then applauded loudly. They understood the heart and strictness of a father towards his child and saw in him the great personality of an artist. Later, he confided to me: "I hope you understand. Seeing Que Tran grow up, I can't control my emotions, but I don't want her to be subjective and complacent." I was silent. It seemed like I hadn't had time to tell him that it was the beauty of a time when we only knew how to live and wander like butterflies and fairies in art.

That year, the Tran Huu Trang Award awarded two gold medals to Que Tran and Huu Quoc. I think these were two truly worthy gold medals in discovering young talents of the Cai Luong stage. Unfortunately, the Cai Luong stage is gradually drifting into the past.

2. The public has known a lot about the life and career of a famous person like People's Artist Thanh Tong through the press, just a click away, you will have all the information. But not everyone knows about the life of an artist and the struggles and worries on the path to the ideal ambition of a dedicated person like Thanh Tong. Thanh Tong often confided in me when some people discriminated against him, considering the art of the Minh To classical opera troupe as a hybrid product of Chinese opera. It seemed that he felt inferior because he did not have enough theory and could not overcome the prejudices of the times, to protect the heritage of his family and himself for a different direction on the opera stage. That is also the biggest shortcoming in the theoretical research system for the Southern opera stage. Now people rarely mention it, research it systematically, instead of competing to find illusory titles about heritage values.

3. I admire Thanh Tong, first of all because he is always kind to life and the paths he has taken. I have never heard him speak ill of anyone, all his worries are only due to his health. At the most recent Vietnam Stage Artists Association congress, I had to help him hobble from the restroom to the steps of the Hanoi Opera House. I said: "You are in so much pain, what are you doing here?" He immediately said: "There are not many opportunities left. We have to try to go out with our friends. It's fun, my friend." Like the many times he complained about his joint pain, unable to walk, but in a flash he appeared in programs where people invited him to perform. I saw another Thanh Tong, burning himself out, dancing and transforming into characters.

I was angry with Thanh Tong because every time I called to ask where he was, he always said he was in Hoc Mon. When he passed away, I read the news in the newspaper and found out that for more than a year he had moved to live right next to my house. He had been avoiding me, like many artists who pride themselves on being public figures, not wanting anyone to see them in their miserable state.

On the Monday after he passed away, my husband and I went to visit him early in the morning. I read the poem "Farewell" in front of his tablet. Suddenly, a very large black butterfly flew in and hovered around the coffin lid. I said to Que Tran: "My father is a liar. He was afraid of being embarrassed with anyone. Why did he hide it from you when he came here? We could have talked to each other. You just scolded him once and he's already hanging around." Que Tran also said: "That's strange, uncle. He hasn't been here for a few days. Could the butterfly be my father?" After looking at many pictures posted online, I also saw a large black butterfly perched on Que Tran's forehead, right on her head during the funeral.

I do not tell this rather unusual story to spread superstition, but I vaguely feel that those who truly love this world will never want to leave. Now, every morning when I go to practice and pass by his house, the door is always locked, I still see Thanh Tong's figure somewhere, like the time when he smiled brightly with "The Poem of the Horse Saddle" (a work by director Thanh Tong).

(*) See Lao Dong Newspaper from issue dated May 21

Source: https://nld.com.vn/van-hoa-van-nghe/nsnd-thanh-tong-nhan-cach-lon-20170527220019085.htm