From Noh drama, remembering Hue opera

Although not yet popular, Hue Tuong is still quite far from folk Tuong, as this is a type of royal Tuong, classical and highly scholarly. People's Artist Nguyen Nho Tuy, who was in charge of the Hue royal Tuong troupe under the reign of King Bao Dai, once said: Performing Tuong in the royal court has extremely strict regulations. If in the communal house yard or at the people's theater, Tuong actors are only subject to "punishment" by the players, when performing on the royal stage, they must be "punished" even with their lives if they are careless and "disrespectful". That requires Hue royal Tuong art to be very meticulous, skillful, or in other words, to be very professional, from the script to the performance art of the artists.

That is also the reason why it is not by chance that Hue opera, commonly known as Hue opera, is compared to Noh opera, a traditional art form of Japan. It is worth mentioning that while Hue opera is facing difficulties, despite the growing wave of films and young music, Noh opera is still loved and preserved. 50 years ago, Japan passed the Law on the Restoration of Traditional Crafts; in which, long-time actors were recognized as national treasures. The Japanese government also built the National Noh Theater. Noh opera is also included in the general education curriculum. Perhaps, it is also from that effort that Japanese Noh art is performed exactly as it was 800 years ago and still has a large audience. That is also the belief for Hue opera when, despite many difficulties, the Hue Royal Art Theater is determined not to stage plays that follow common tastes, not to turn opera into drama, "sowing sesame and reaping corn".

At the Hue Traditional Craft Festival 2023, seeing the locals and tourists eagerly participating in the street performance program, taking the idea of displaying the traditional cultural colors of Hue craft villages, boldly and daringly including the image of a boat "swimming" in the middle of Hue streets as a creative way to create a unique and distinctive color, I remembered Hue opera. Also around this time last year, within the framework of Hue Festival 2022, the first opera mask procession was held. A team of hundreds of actors wearing colorful opera masks, transformed into opera characters performing on the streets of Hue. In the excitement, many people called it a rare occasion for Hue opera to "leave the palace", or more colloquially, "Hue opera to the streets".

When, for various reasons, hát bội does not have a “market of viewers” or is gradually falling into oblivion, “lessons from Noh” or through the Hue Festival to “bring hát bội to the streets” is a way for this art form to return to the public. According to People's Artist Bach Hac, the public seeing the tuong masks and enjoying excerpts from ancient tuong is a way to promote and introduce the image of tuong that has long been absent. Last morning, when witnessing the art troupes performing on the street, many elderly people in Hue expressed their nostalgic feelings, recalling the years of sitting and watching hát bội. As for young people, this is an interesting art activity, helping them learn more about Hue culture.

Hue people have changed in preserving, conserving and spreading cultural values and like many people, I am looking forward to watching hát bội - ancient drama "out of the palace" before many stages are opened.

Source: https://baothuathienhue.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/tu-kich-noh-nho-ve-hat-boi-hue-127847.html