Unlike in southern Vietnam, where “cai luong” (traditional southern music and performance) originated but is currently on the wane, the art has been drawing back its audiences in Hanoi over the past two years.

Hanoi audiences thronged at Hong Ha Theater in Hanoi during the three nights the Vietnam Cai luong Theater staged its new ‘cai luong’ play, “Vua Thanh trieu Le” (The insightful King of the Le dynasty) early this month. People from other neighboring provinces also made it to the theater for the play.

The play will be performed some more nights next week before being taken on a performing tour to Bac Ninh and Nam Dinh provinces later this month.

This has also been the case with many other “cai luong” plays performed in the last two years. Another play “Yeu la thoat toi” (To love is to be cleared of sin) has been a local hit, with almost 100 performances offered in Hanoi and neighboring provinces in the past two years.

“The plays offered by Hanoi Cai luong Theater are shortened but still feature several great ‘vong co’ (classic traditional tunes) songs. What also appeals to me is the characters’ profound discussions of today’s topical issues,” shared Thuy Duong, a local who recently returned to the theater for “cai luong” plays after almost 20 years.

Experts and audiences have noticed the striking changes in the northern “cai luong” plays in recent years. The plays now feature less singing and stage symbolism, but instead add hi-end technology for vividness and better effects. They also incorporate topical issues in both modern-day and historical works.

Behind these changes is the batch of young directors including Hoang Quynh Mai, Trieu Trung Kien and Tran Quang Hung. They’ve grown more daring in their choice of scripts and showcased their rich creativity with novel additions and experimental details. They also fuse the age-old art with video, movie effects and enhance dramatic features.

“Audiences’ tastes vary in different times, so we can’t just stick to the scripts, performing and directing styles adopted some dozens of years ago. Our job is to make changes but still retain the allure of the time-honored art,” shared Meritorious Artist Hoang Quynh Mai, director of the “Vua Thanh trieu Le” play.

Along with offering new good plays, several theaters in Hanoi, including Chuong Vang and Vietnam Cai luong Theaters, have also made attempts to rekindle locals’ interest in “cai luong” by holding regular exchanges between artists and audiences in which they are shown how to sing the tunes and perform the art.