The city of love in Hoai Linh's "The Boarding House with Many Games"

The road to reformation seems to have never been easy. The newly released play, The Boarding House of Many Troupes, once again raises the issue of sharing and tolerance among people in society.

Uncle Sau, a motorbike taxi driver (left cover, played by Hoai Linh), always likes to help others - Photo: LINH DOAN

The Troubling Boarding House (script: Nhu Truc) marks the first time artist Hoai Linh has directed a play, co-directed with young man Minh Nhat.

A Boarding House of Many Mistakes : Is there a way back for those who make mistakes?

The Boarding House with Many Tros is the second play to be presented to the audience of New Stage. If the first play, A Love Affair , goes to the West, the Boarding House with Many Tros takes place in the dusty, bustling streets.

Somewhere in Ho Chi Minh City, there is a poor boarding house with tenants who are laborers struggling to make a living.

One day, a young man named Phi (played by Steven Nguyen) appears in the boarding house, making many girls... faint because of his handsome appearance. Phi is quiet but always helps his neighbors.

Then people discovered that he was a man who had just been released from prison, so all intimacy suddenly became strange. Phi had to endure the scrutiny and suspicion. In the neighborhood, whoever lost something, Phi was always the number one suspect.

Phi (played by Steven Nguyen, second from right) faces many doubts because he has just been released from prison - Photo: LINH DOAN

This mentality is generally not new, prejudice has been the same for generations, it is still difficult to forgive those who make mistakes, especially when they are imprisoned.

But as a human being, who can be sure that we will never stumble? At that time, we really need a warm arm to pull us up. Like Phi, sometimes she feels so distraught that she wants to give up because of too much pressure and hardship, making the path to reformation more and more obscure.

Mac Van Khoa (center) plays a gangster who likes to talk, making the audience laugh until their mouths are sore - Photo: LINH DOAN

Humanity in the poor neighborhood

But luckily for Phi, the neighborhood, despite its many stories, many pranks, and sometimes quite annoying, had people who saw his concerns and volunteered to be a peaceful place for him to take refuge.

That is Uncle Sau, a motorbike taxi driver (played by Hoai Linh) with a mysterious identity, ready to believe Phi amidst many doubts. Still likes to meddle in gossiping so that the neighbors know how to sympathize with those with special identities.

But in society, how many people are willing to do the same thing as Uncle Sau so that those who have made mistakes can find a way back?

The Boarding House is not too thorny but raises and solves problems in an emotional way and has a tendency to… heal!

Love and tolerance seem to be effective spiritual therapy for people full of scars and wounds.

The noisy neighborhood was initially noisy but then also sympathized when realizing Phi's deep suffering.

The city of love is where people know how to share with each other, know how to help each other through the twists and turns of life.

The Boarding House is not as tragic as A Love Affair , the comedy is quite a lot but charming, not nonsense. Watching the play, the audience laughs and then suddenly feels pity, feels moved when good and kind things are still present in every street corner. Simple but gently guides people to a beautiful way of life.

Besides Hoai Linh and Steven Nguyen, Xom tro lam tro also features Cat Phuong, Hua Minh Dat, Mac Van Khoa, Huynh Tien Khoa, Phuong Linh, Hong Trang, Cong Danh...

LINH DOAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thanh-pho-nghia-tinh-trong-xom-tro-lam-tro-cua-hoai-linh-20250804021113811.htm