New play adapted from Balzac novel to be staged

3/30/2018 - 10:56:03 AM

A play about money and love adapted from Honoré de Balzac’s novel Eugénie Grandet by director Viet Linh will be staged in HCM City on March 30.

A scene from the Vietnamese version of film Eugénie Grandet, written by Viet Linh, staged by Hong Hac Drama Troupe in HCM City (Photo courtesy of the producer)

The play is about a wealthy but miserly Felix Grandet whose deeds lead to tragedy for his daughter Eugénie and himself.

Linh wrote the screenplay and invited young director Tay Phong of Hong Hac Drama Troupe, one of the city’s private troupes, to take part in the project.

"I believe our production will make audiences laugh and cry. The play’s message is the hypocrisy and shallowness of wealthy people and how money controls their live,” Phong said in an interview withThanh Niennewspaper.

"Balzac releasedEugénie Grandetin 1839 but his work is still relevant. I’m interested in Linh’s script because it has modern content,” he added.

The Vietnamese version ofEugénie Grandetfeatures young artists Le Chi Na, Thanh Tuan, Luong My and Hong Dao.

Born in 1952 into a traditional family, Linh acquired her love for films from her father and scriptwriter Viet Tan, who played a role in developing revolutionary cinema.

She studied film in Russia in 1980. Five years later, she became the south’s first female director, working for Giai Phong Film Studio, the south’s leading State-owned film company.

Linh has since directed dozens of movies, including the award-winningGanh Xiec Rong(Mobile Circus Troupe, 1988) andDau An Cua Quy(The Sign of the Devil, 1992).

Her filmsMe Thao Thoi Vang Bong(Once Upon a Time in Me Thao Village, 2002) andChung Cu(The Tenement House, 1999) won several prizes at local and international film festivals, including the Vietnam Golden Kite Film Festival, 2004 Promotion Internationale des Films du Sud in France, and 2003 Bergamo Film Festival in Italy.

Most of her works are about love and the lives of people, with the use of light and sound effects highlighting their visual features.

Linh has also written books and documents about the cinema.In 2005, she and her partner Pham Hoang Nam,a theatre producer, opened Hong Hac Drama Troupe to offer experimental shows.

"We want to provide audiences, particularly young people, with new concepts and techniques in drama,” said the 67-year-old Linh, who lives in France and Vietnam.

Theatre experts, including theatre actress and director Hong Anh and music producer Nguyen Cong Phuong Nam, have helped her troupe become more professional.

The Vietnamese stage version ofEugénie Grandetwill be staged every weekend at 155Bis Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street in District 3. The final date of the performance has not been announced.-VNA

Source: VNA

Bringing art to remote areas - promoting ethnic culture

Hoa Binh city - Vibrant community activities at cultural houses

Building a cultural conservation area for Muong ethnic group in Luy Ai hamlet

Phong Phu commune, Tan Lac district of Hoa Binh province, is widely regarded as the cultural heartland of the Muong ethnic group. Among its many traditional communities, Luy Ai hamlet (formerly Ai hamlet) stands out as a rare location where the customs and way of life of the Muong Bi people remain largely intact.

Truong Kha temple festival celebrates Muong cultural heritage

The Truong Kha temple festival, a distinctive cultural event held every three years in Vu Ban township, Lac Son district, returned recently with vibrant rituals and folk traditions of the Muong people. Located next to the Buoi River in the Muong Trao fields, the Truong Kha Temple is dedicated to the three Kun Dol deities, revered for teaching farming techniques, irrigation, weaving, and protecting the harvest.

Hoa Binh city residents enjoy upgraded cultural houses

The demand for spaces serving community activities of residents in various areas across Hoa Binh city has been satisfied as local cultural houses now feature modern, spacious facilities thanks to the effective implementation of Resolution No. 49/NQ-HDND issued on December 28, 2021 by the city People's Council, which approved the plan for reorganising, converting, and allocating land for the construction, repair, and expansion of cultural houses in Hoa Binh’s villages and residential areas until 2025.

Enhancing cultural and spiritual life in remote and ethnic minority areas

At the end of May, the Hoa Binh Provincial Ethnic Arts Troupe organized a series of performances for residents in Region 2 and Region 3 communes across the province. Bringing art to ethnic communities in remote, isolated, and especially disadvantaged areas has become a meaningful activity. These are not merely artistic performances but also journeys to disseminate cultural values, enrich spiritual life, and contribute to preserving the cultural identity of ethnic minorities.