Meritorious Artist Vu Xuan Trang "tests the waters" for young actors with "Notre Dame de Paris".

NSƯT Vũ Xuân Trang — Director and Meritorious Artist Vu Xuan Trang speaks and interacts with the audience after the performance of the play "Notre Dame de Paris".

On the evening of January 6th, the Xom Kich (Theater Village) stage, directed by Meritorious Artist Vu Xuan Trang, premiered the classic play "Notre Dame de Paris" (adapted from the novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" by writer Victor Hugo) - a new work by Khang Entertainment Company.

The audience cheered for each scene performed by the young actors, because for lovers of classical theater, the excellent performances in the play transported them back to the previous century, allowing them to "live" with the characters and share their feelings.

The play is set in Paris in 1482. There, the impoverished poet Pierre Gringoire recounts a story he witnessed.

A group of homeless Gypsies (Bohemians) led by Clopin arrived at the gates of Notre Dame Cathedral seeking shelter, much to the annoyance of Auxiliary Bishop Frollo. He ordered Phoeus, the head of the royal archery squad, to expel them.

Unable to restrain his fickle heart, the captain Phoebus fell in love with a beautiful young woman named Esmeralda in the Gypsy caravan, despite already having a lover and being about to marry a noblewoman.

The Auxiliary Bishop ordered Quasimodo—the ugly-faced church bell ringer—to abduct Esmeralda. Loyal to Frollo, Quasimodo obeyed but unfortunately failed and was captured by Phoebus.

Quasimodo endured being bound hand and foot. He cried out for water, but no one paid him any attention, except for Esmeralda, who unexpectedly brought him water. Quasimodo was freed, and they became friends, a sacred friendship that the hunchback bell ringer of Notre Dame cherished.

The most dramatic scene is when Frollo uses torture to force Esmeralda to confess and sentence her to death by hanging for killing the philandering captain. Ironically, the vice-bishop then forces Esmeralda to love him if she wants to live.

Esmeralda was disgusted by the cruel nature of the deputy bishop, who had revealed his true character. She was rescued by Quasimodo, who took her to take refuge in Notre Dame Cathedral.

But even she could not escape death due to human selfishness and hatred. Only Quasimodo's love was beautiful, even though he had the appearance of a beast, he possessed a heart full of pride.

Choosing to stage classical works for young actors is how director and Meritorious Artist Vu Xuan Trang wants his students to improve. Although they are still inexperienced and have made some mistakes, they all exude a love for classical theater and have chosen this challenging path to follow.

Because, after their graduation performance, they were fortunate enough to continue working with their teacher, performing in many seriously invested plays at the Drama Village Stage, the Ho Chi Minh City Dance School, and a new venue that will open on January 27th, the Smile Theater (6 Huyen Tran Cong Chua Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City - located within the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Culture Palace).

Meritorious Artist Vu Xuan Trang shared: "I once went through a period of unemployment after graduating from school. So I understand the feelings of young actors. Now, finding a place to perform and showcase their talent is extremely difficult. Therefore, despite the hardships, my wife - artist Hoang Thy - and I still support them, creating performance venues so they can reach the audience."

Experts highly appreciate the efforts of the couple, Meritorious Artist Vu Xuan Trang and artist Hoang Thy. Writer and director Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc commented on her students: "Both of them are the most 'crazy' and 'daring' people in the theater world today. While producers look for stars to sell tickets, these two chose to invest in young actors. I think that's a charming and very necessary kind of 'craziness'."

"If we don't dare to invest in the younger generation, how can we have successors? Because, among these young people, there will certainly be some who become stars. The problem is that we need a training environment for them, and Vu Xuan Trang and Hoang Thy are doing just that," said writer and director Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc.

The young actors performed consistently well, with a lot of emotion, creating impressive performances on stage. They deserved to receive their diplomas after their hard work, including: Quoc Minh (as Quasimodo), Quynh Nhi (as Esmeralda), Quoc Huy (as Clopin), Si Nguyen (as Frollo), Thuy My (as Amanda), Minh Nhat (as Phoebus), Nhat Quan (as Gringo), Hang Nga (as Fluer de Lys), Minh Dat (as Jehan), Hoang Loc (as Jack)...

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