The Heir of a Great Theatre Family: The Little Girl Who Restored the Huang Long Troupe

Huynh Long is also a very large cai luong theater family, with similarities to the Minh To family. These two troupes are based in Ho Chi Minh City, developed and struggled at almost the same time, then flourished again in the same period.

FROM HAT BOI TO HO QUANG AND TUONG CO

The couple Bay Huynh - Ngoc Huong were famous opera artists in the 1940s - 1950s, who established a opera troupe called Chanh Thanh, performing regularly at Nhon Hoa communal house (now in Cau Ong Lanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City). This is a large communal house, not inferior to Cau Quan communal house (headquarters of Minh To troupe), and later when Chanh Thanh troupe changed its new name to Ho Quang Huynh Long, they also chose Nhon Hoa communal house as their headquarters. The two large communal houses are both located in the old District 1, both are valuable cultural relics bearing the mark of cai luong history, and are being preserved quite carefully.

Binh Tinh plays Bui Thi Xuan, and Minh Truong plays Tran Quang Dieu in the play Tay Son Female Generals.

PHOTO: HK

Regarding the second generation, Mr. and Mrs. Bay Huynh had 5 children who followed the singing profession: Bach Mai, Thanh Bach, Kim Phuong, Bach Nga, Thanh Chau. In the 1960s and 1970s, Mr. and Mrs. Bay Huynh switched to singing Ho Quang, the two main pillars were Bach Mai and Thanh Bach, who were famous. Kim Phuong specialized in costumes, Thanh Chau specialized in music , it could be considered that the whole family had people in charge of all fields, truly versatile.

But Mr. Bay Huynh passed away early after 1975, Chinese plays were not encouraged, Mrs. Bay Huynh then applied for a license to establish the Huynh Long classical drama troupe. Thanh Bach became the mainstay of the troupe, while Bach Mai composed historical scripts such as Anh hung ban than, Mat troi dem the kich (adapted from a script by Le Duy Hanh)... In 1980, the troupe stopped operating, Thanh Bach joined Minh To, met and fell in love with artist Bach Le (sister of Meritorious Artist Thanh Loc), then in 1990 both husband and wife moved to France to settle down. The Huynh Long troupe was considered to have stopped completely.

Artist Thanh Bach is truly a handsome actor from his appearance to his deep voice, wonderful dancing, and moves the audience when on stage. Thanh Bach plays the role of a general with great courage, and plays the role of a king with clarity and determination, truly like a sparkling gem. In France, he and his wife still maintain their profession by "singing for free" during holidays, or singing at shows when invited.

Bach Mai was excellent in both the roles of the fragrant and the poisonous, especially the martial arts roles with a majestic demeanor and voice. She also had the ability to direct and write plays, and to this day, about 50 scripts have been re-produced by units, such as Tam Cam, Manh Le Quan, Xu an Phi Giao, Giang son va my nhan, Ngu bien bao phu cuu... She married Duc Loi, also a famous artist in traditional opera. Although the troupe stopped operating, Bach Mai still did not give up her career. She sang in shows, recorded videos , recorded discs, wrote scripts, edited excerpts for programs... When she passed away, she left behind a huge treasure trove of scripts as "capital" for her children to rebuild the Huynh Long brand.

RESTORING SIGNBOARDS WITH YOUTHFUL ENERGY

Bach Mai - Duc Loi has two children, Chinh Nhan and Binh Tinh. Chinh Nhan was a handsome actor with a clear voice and graceful dancing, but passed away due to a serious illness at the age of 46. The "little girl" Binh Tinh was left with the burden of the family and the entire Huynh Long business that had to be restored with countless difficulties.

Artist Thanh Bach plays Ly Thuong Kiet, artist Bach Le plays Queen Mother Y Lan in the play Saddle Poem

PHOTO: HK

Binh Tinh studied at Dong au Bach Long, also appeared on stage very early like her classmates Que Tran, Trinh Trinh... But the period when she grew up was the darkest period of her family. She was alone, running shows to support her mother and take care of her sick brother. Sometimes she sang excerpts, sometimes she sang music, even sang at funerals, weddings... For 15 years, she overcame difficulties with boundless filial piety. Sometimes Binh Tinh thought she would not be able to keep her dream of standing on a proper stage, so she would just have to earn a living first.

But heaven does not disappoint, Binh Tinh participated in the Sao Noi Ngoi contest in 2016 and won the championship. Since then, she has been in demand for shows, many loving audiences have given her cars, branded goods... Binh Tinh no longer worries about her family's finances . However, Binh Tinh's main concern is to rebuild the Huynh Long brand. She boldly invested in creating plays, trying to perform at Hong Lien theater. Unexpectedly, tickets were sold out every night, so she had to add more chairs. So, taking advantage of the success, Binh Tinh mass-produced plays, just using Bach Mai's mother's script, it was more than enough for the stage.

Binh Tinh's policy is to create opportunities for young actors, only inviting a few seniors who were associated with the troupe in the past such as Meritorious Artist Thoai My, Ngan Tuan... the rest are new faces such as Hoang Dang Khoa, Trong Nhan, Khanh Nhi, Thai Vinh, Huyen Tram, Bao Bao... Up to now, nearly 10 years, the girl with a small stature has shouldered the responsibility of an entire family, reviving the troupe spectacularly. (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/truyen-nhan-cua-dai-gia-toc-san-khau-co-gai-nho-khoi-phuc-doan-huynh-long-185250723221232424.htm