People's Artist Thanh Vy and her younger brother, musician Van Hai
They are the artist family who contributed to building Tran Huu Trang Opera House, Stage Arts School 2... They are artists Manh Dung, Thanh Dau, Thanh Vy, musician Van Hai...
Xeda of the reformed opera village
Artist Thanh Vy was born into a family with a tradition of performing arts. Her father is the famous zither musician Tran Van and her mother is the comedian Van Qui. Her grandparents are veteran cai luong artists in the famous Kim Chung cai luong troupe of the producer Long.
After that, Mr. Long went to the South to establish the Kim Chung group, which became famous for five or six troupes, and was the cradle of many famous cai luong talents such as Minh Canh, Minh Phung, Le Thuy, Minh Vuong, My Chau, Thanh Tuan, Thanh Kim Hue...
Half of the Kim Chung troupe stayed in Hanoi , later becoming the Golden Bell Opera Troupe, Thanh Vy's parents continued to be the pillars here.
Artist Thanh Vy said that at that time her family was not home so they lived together at the theater with other artists.
The family had six children, three daughters Thanh Dau, Thanh Vy, Thanh Hang became singers, three sons Van Hai, Van Thang, Van Hong were musicians. At the age of 5, Thanh Vy was carried onto the stage, at the age of 6 she played the role of a child actress with dialogue. At the age of 11, she entered the Cai Luong department of the National Opera and Drama School.
On graduation day, the leaders of the Southern Opera Troupe (consisting of many artists from the South who gathered in the North in 1954) came to the school to recruit young actors. Thanh Vy, Ha Quang Van (former principal of Stage Arts School 2, younger brother of artists Ai Xuan, Ai Van...), Thu Van... were selected to join the troupe.
In fact, before that, Thanh Vy was crazy about Southern Cai Luong singers like Le Thuy, Ngoc Giau, Ut Tra On..., especially artist Ut Bach Lan. At school, she was taught by many teachers from the Southern Cai Luong Troupe, so she was familiar with the dialogue and singing of the Southern accent.
Therefore, the love for Southern Cai Luong in the heart of the Hanoi girl was formed very early. Joining the troupe, Thanh Vy was quickly assigned the main role of Vo Thi Sau in the play Nguoi con gai dat do , then Thuyen Quyen in the play Khuat Nguyen ...
She and her older brothers and sisters in the troupe such as Phi Dieu, Ca Le Hong, Le Thien... performed everywhere to serve the militia during the fierce war days. Here, she fell in love with composer Hung Tan.
Southern Opera Troupe performed for soldiers and people in Dong Ha, Quang Tri in 1973.
Mr. Hung Tan was a student from the South who gathered in the North. At first, he was an actor in the Southern Drama Troupe, then transferred to the Southern Opera Troupe, and then developed his creative ability with hundreds of stage scripts, including many famous plays such as The Adulterer, Chim Viet Canh Nam, Tinh Yeu Va Loi Dou, Huyen Thoai Mot Tinh Yeu ...
In 1975, after the liberation of the South, the Central Government sent art troupes from the North to the South for about a year, including the Southern Cai Luong Troupe. Thanh Vy not only followed her husband to the South, but she was also excited.
Because she loves Southern cải lương so much, she also really wants to return to that land to meet and interact with the cải lương idols whose names she has heard for a long time.
The Southern Opera Troupe "greeted" the Saigon audience with the opera Kieu Nguyet Nga , starring Thanh Vy. Artist Ut Tra On came to watch and presented flowers to the troupe.
However, Southern audiences were unfamiliar with the Cai Luong artists from the North, so at first the performances were very... unsold! When asked if Thanh Vy was sad or discouraged, she said she felt a little sad, but then because she was so passionate about the profession, she thought that if she devoted herself to her role and her profession, she would have no regrets.
Xeda is the role of a lifetime for artist Thanh Vy.
After a year, many artists from the troupes returned to the North. Thanh Vy was one of the few Northern artists who stayed. The Southern Opera Troupe was the foundation for the Tran Huu Trang Opera Theatre today.
Just like that, along with other artists, Thanh Vy conquered the audience through each role in the plays Night of Judgment, Chim Viet Canh Nam, Thai Hau Duong Van Nga ... Around 1983, director Doan Ba directed the play Nang Xe Da , he surprised everyone by choosing Thanh Vy to play the lead role.
Doan Ba's keen eye combined with Thanh Vy's delicate acting created a lifetime of Xe Da Thanh Vy. The play was performed continuously for several years, and was a ticket hit at Tran Huu Trang Opera House with nearly 2,000 performances.
These successes have contributed to affirming Thanh Vy's face in the Ho Chi Minh City reformed theater industry, which has many stars from many generations. When reformed theater declined, she continued to be remembered by audiences at the Idecaf theater stage and in roles on the small screen.
Artist Thanh Vy considers Ho Chi Minh City her second home: "I am familiar with the customs and practices of the Southern land. When I go out, I always speak the Southern dialect, so few people recognize that I am from the North. This land is extremely lovely because of its openness, sincerity, and acceptance of people from all regions to live here and develop their talents," Thanh Vy expressed.
Destiny with the Southern land
Anyone who has watched the TV series Southern Land probably cannot forget the character of Mr. Ba the Snake Catcher. The role is loved by many people because it shows the simplicity of a Southern old man. However, the person who played the character was a Northern artist, teacher Manh Dung.
Sisters Thanh Dau and Thanh Vy in the play Tieng gun dau xuan performed at Quoc Thanh theater in 1975.
Artist Manh Dung is the husband of artist Thanh Dau. Ms. Thanh Dau is the older sister of artist Thanh Vy, two talented actresses in a family of traditional cai luong artists.
At the age of 3, artist Thanh Dau was on stage at the Kim Chung Opera Troupe. Because of her talent, she was recruited directly into the first opera actor training class in the North in 1957, following the method of passing on the profession from good opera teachers. Here she met the man of her life, artist Manh Dung. After finishing the class, she worked at the Youth Union of the Golden Bell Opera Troupe.
Mr. Manh Dung was handsome and a good singer, so he quickly became the main actor. Ms. Thanh Dau, after playing a few supporting roles for him, also became the main actress. Around 1969, the Southern Opera Troupe was short of manpower, so artists Manh Dung, Thanh Dau, Kim Xuan, Tieu Lang... came to work there.
Thanh Dau said that to integrate into the atmosphere of a Southern troupe, she and her husband had to spend a whole year learning to speak, act, and sing in a Southern accent. During the fierce war, the family members including Manh Dung, Thanh Dau, Thanh Vy, Hung Tan, and musician Van Hai fought side by side with the Southern Opera Troupe to perform in all the battlefields.
In 1975, five people also took the train from North to South to develop art in the new land. After about two years, in order to establish the Central Opera House, artists Manh Dung and Thanh Dau were transferred to Hanoi to support. Manh Dung was the main actor of the theater, while artist Thanh Dau both performed and held the position of head of troupe 2 of the Central Opera House.
They were also in charge of training artists. To develop his career, artist Manh Dung passed the entrance exam to the first stage directing class in Vietnam. After graduating, because of invitations from the Ho Chi Minh City Stage Arts School 2, around 1984, they packed up and returned to the South and have been there ever since.
Mrs. Dau said that at that time, someone from the Ministry of Culture called to ask if they had any thoughts, why did they go to the South when the position here was very solid.
Artists Manh Dung and Thanh Dau in the play "Spring Gunfire"
Artist Manh Dung shared: "I have spent nearly half of my life working and singing Cai Luong in the North. Since joining the Southern Cai Luong Troupe, I have become more aware of the roots of Cai Luong, the subject that I am passionate about.
The South is the origin, the source of reformed opera. I want to return to learn more and satisfy my passion for the profession!".
When he returned to Ho Chi Minh City, he became a lecturer in the performance technique department of the reformed theater department at the Stage Arts School 2. She taught makeup and assisted him in teaching. They stayed with the school until their retirement.
She said that at that time, artist Manh Dung was both a teacher and a director, so he was very happy because he was working in his field of expertise and doing what he wanted. He directed many plays such as Tam ao an tinh, Hoang hau hai vua, Canh sai trang ... In particular, he also directed the famous play Loi vu with artist Diep Lang for the 2-84 Cai luong troupe.
When Southern reformed opera artists gathered in the North, they often came to eat, sleep, and play amateur music with the family of Mr. and Mrs. Tran Van - Van Qui at house number 9 Hang Voi. The house was narrow and simple, but the artists were very affectionate.
Because of that deep affection, the whole family of artists Manh Dung, Thanh Dau, Thanh Vy... were influenced by the Southern lifestyle from a very early age. Even before going to the South, they already knew the food and habits of the Southern people.
"I like Southern people because of their wholehearted, sincere, generous and very affectionate lifestyle. Maybe that's why when we moved to Ho Chi Minh City, many people thought we were native Southerners," said artist Manh Dung.
The whole family of artists includes: Manh Dung, Thanh Dau, Thanh Vy, composer Hung Tan (deceased), musician Van Hai, musician Van Thang, many of whom have retired but are still involved in the city's cultural and artistic activities.
Artist couple Manh Dung and Thanh Dau often appear in many films and cinema and reformed opera events. Artist Thanh Vy's health is not as good as before, but whenever she is healthy, she still appears to meet people.
Musician Van Hai still participates in performances and attends folk art forums of some universities. Musician Van Thang still plays folk instruments in tourism activities. That artistic family has contributed to creating a highlight in the 50-year cultural and artistic picture of the city, which is diverse, unique and brilliant.
Around 1950, when Mr. Bay Ba (aka composer Vien Chau) went to Hanoi, he became close to Mr. Tran Van. Around 1980, when the Saigon 1 troupe went to Hanoi to perform, Mr. Tran Van welcomed three musicians, including musician Bay Ba, to his house.
Later, Mr. Tran Van moved to Ho Chi Minh City to live with his daughter Thanh Vy. When he passed away in 1996, composer Vien Chau came to mourn his old friend and kept regretting: "Why did you leave so suddenly without saying anything, Van?".
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/yeu-cai-luong-tu-bac-xuoi-nam-20250425160242571.htm
Comment (0)