Cải lương «Giang San Mỹ Nhân» (Realm and Beauty)

   A classic of Vietnamese cải lương returns to a large stage in central Saigon, rebuilt by a cast of veteran performers. The question the piece asks has lost none of its weight: with love on one side and the fate of a whole country on the other, what does Tây Thi choose?

   «Giang San Mỹ Nhân» was written by the late artist Bạch Mai and has now been restaged by Meritorious Artist Vũ Luân. Out of the enmity between the states of Ngô and Việt, it unfolds the story of a beauty deployed as an instrument of revenge, who then finds herself trapped between duty to her country and feeling for the man she loves.

   Defeated and sent into exile, King Câu Tiễn of Việt returns home nursing plans of revenge and sends five beauties to Ngô. Tây Thi is given the task of approaching King Ngô Phù Sai — and is gradually moved by the sincerity of his affection.

   The cast:
Kim Tử Long, Ngọc Huyền, Vũ Luân
Thanh Hằng, Trọng Nghĩa, Tâm Tâm
Bình Tinh, Bảo Ngọc and other performers
special guest: Trường Sơn

   It suits both devotees of traditional stage and complete newcomers: cải lương tells its story through movement, costume and melodic mode, so the visual side carries you even without the language.

   A note on tickets: the theatre has opened only 20 seats for this performance through its website, in rows D, E and F on the even-numbered side, all priced at 2,500,000 ₫.

   The performance is sung in Vietnamese in the classical tuồng cổ manner.

   Traditional Vietnamese opera still has nights worth turning up for; this is one of them.