Que Tran (playing Mrs. Do Thi Phan, wife of General Le Van Duyet) and Hoang Hai (playing Le Van Duyet) - Photo: LNH DOAN
The Tran Huu Trang Theater had to add extra seats to accommodate the audience. Applause rang out incessantly during the performance, which depicted Bishop Le Van Duyet's uncompromising confrontations with powerful forces.
Monsignor Le Van Duyet lives on forever.
The play "General Le Van Duyet - The Man Who Received Nine Death Sentences," by author Pham Van Quy, was revised and adapted into a Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) play by Vo Tu Uyen, and performed by Dai Viet New Stage in collaboration with WE Stage.
The same script has been staged five or six times, including both spoken drama and cải lương (Vietnamese traditional opera). This shows how captivating the script is to those in the profession.
Instead of depicting the entire life of Lord Le Van Duyet, the play focuses on his strategic struggle before deciding to arrest and execute Huynh Cong Ly, the king's father-in-law, in order to regain the people's trust and eliminate corrupt officials.
A shocking case that revealed the integrity and uprightness of the Monsignor. He was ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good, even though that decision ultimately contributed to the tragedy in his life.
To confront powerful forces, his decisive actions and words against corrupt officials still inspire admiration in viewers today.
Le Van Duyet once again reminded everyone that the conduct of an official, of a leader, must always be mindful of the interests of the people.
And so, we watched the play. General Le Van Duyet - the man who carried nine death sentences - moved the audience to tears with his compassion for the people and further understood why the land of Gia Dinh has always remembered his contributions - the pioneer who secured the borders and brought prosperity to the people of Gia Dinh, the former land of Ho Chi Minh City today.
The scene where Lord Le Van Duyet (played by Hoang Hai) beheads Huynh Cong Ly (Bao Tri) despite knowing the danger involved moved the audience to tears and elicited thunderous applause - Photo: LINH DOAN
A historical performance explodes into prominence.
Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has a play about Lord Le Van Duyet by the Idecaf Theatre that has received much praise; however, the team behind the play "General Le Van Duyet - The Man Who Received 9 Death Sentences " is not afraid of being copied from others.
Director Hua Xia also rewrote this script a second time, yet she was still as full of creative energy as if she had never rewritten it before. Because in each version, Hua Xia deliberately made things difficult for herself. And since she made things so difficult for herself, there was no way she would let the actors have an easy time!
General Le Van Duyet - the man sentenced to 9 death sentences - takes on a new dimension compared to the 2024 production. The increased number of skilled actors provides an opportunity for the director to push the actors to work hard, delivering impressive characters to the audience.
Vo Minh Lam (playing King Minh Mang) and Tu Suong (playing Hue Phi) are unique and challenging characters to portray in the play - Photo: LINH DOAN
And indeed, the production that premiered on the evening of April 25th made the performance explode with emotion because there were so many great characters. Actor Hoang Hai, who was still somewhat young in the role of Le Van Duyet in 2024, now gave viewers a completely different perspective as he demonstrated progress, mastering the character and bringing out the charisma of Le Van Duyet, who is considered a "god" in the hearts of the people of Southern Vietnam.
Bao Tri still excels in the character of Huynh Cong Ly. Huynh Cong Ly's arrogance, haughtiness, and disregard for the common people served as a foundation for Le Van Duyet (played by Hoang Hai), delivering each line of dialogue with relish for the audience.
Vo Minh Lam served as both assistant director and played the role of Minh Mang. This is a unique and innovative character. Minh Mang disliked Duyet but still needed him to maintain border security and keep the people's hearts at ease. Perhaps among the actors who have portrayed this role recently, few can surpass Vo Minh Lam in his portrayal of Minh Mang.
Que Tran and Hoang Hai made a strong impression in their performance of the traditional Vietnamese opera (hat boi) under the guidance of opera artist Ngoc Dung - Photo: LINH DOAN
The sisters Tú Sương and Quế Trân are at the peak of their careers, so their confrontation with the characters Đỗ Thị Phẫn (wife of Lê Văn Duyệt) and Huệ Phi (daughter of Huỳnh Công Lý) in the play adds an extremely captivating and tense element to the performance.
Watching Hoa Ha's plays, the audience sometimes holds their breath because she speeds up the pace, with dramatic events following one another, creating a very satisfying experience.
Hoa Ha once again proves that historical plays are not dry or exclusive to a select audience. With a good script, a creative and insightful team, and well-developed characters with carefully crafted scenes, pages of national history can be brought to life vividly on stage.
Immediately after the performance on the evening of April 25th, Hoàng Song Việt, the manager of Đại Việt theater, announced that due to audience demand, the team is planning a repeat performance in the near future.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/xem-vo-duc-ta-quan-le-van-duyet-qua-da-20260427090219603.htm
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