Literary quality elevates comedy

In early August, New Stage with the participation of many comedians will introduce to the audience the play "A Love Affair".

The comedy based on the literary novel by writer Nguyen Ngoc Tu has raised the quality of laughter.

In fact, plays starring Hoai Linh, Viet Huong, Le Giang, Minh Nhi, Cat Phuong, Hoang Phi, Lam Vy Da… have gradually stopped following trends and instead chosen simple, serious, and life-like storytelling. That is thanks to the producers’ decision to invest in literary scripts and the young directors’ efforts to tell serious stories.

Without making loud declarations, without abusing special effects or making easy jokes, many young stage directors in Ho Chi Minh City are quietly pursuing a different direction: staging plays based on a solid literary foundation. They focus on exploiting the depth of character psychology, building everyday spaces, using familiar dialogues rich in metaphors to create simple but profound plays.

In that trend, the participation of famous artists such as: Hoai Linh, Viet Huong, Minh Nhi, Huu Nghia, Quoc Thao, Thanh Thuy, Cat Phuong, Hoang Phi, Quach Ngoc Tuyen... is a special support. The stars are willing to restrain themselves to serve the general spirit of the play: telling stories in a decent way.

Literature is precious material

On the evening of August 2, the play "A Love Affair" will premiere at the New Stage (Khang Media) as a typical example of the literary-rich staging trend of young directors. Minh Nhat and Cong Huy are the two young directors who chose this literary play as their graduation play for the directing department of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Cinema.

Meritorious Artist Hoai Linh and actors in the play “A Love Affair”. (Photo provided by New Theater)

Both chose to exploit the theme of a husband whose wife left him because he was poor, and then he waited for her to return. When they reunited, instead of him being happy, after more than ten years of loyalty, the truth was even more cruel. Without making the story tragic, the play developed like a gentle flashback, emphasizing the inner depth rather than the external actions.

The role of a Southern old man by Meritorious Artist Hoai Linh promises to be a remarkable change. Familiar with comedy and natural acting, in this play, Meritorious Artist Hoai Linh is the character that the audience is waiting for.

Not only the play "A Love Affair", previously the play "Lost in the Sea of People" (Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association) which made a strong impression at the first Ho Chi Minh City Theater Festival in 2024 also clearly showed the literary mark in the staging. The roles of Mr. Tai and Mrs. Nam - performed by Meritorious Artist Hoai Linh and comedian Viet Huong - are two small people who keep looking for each other, only to realize that the loneliness in the city comes from their own souls.

The play has no dramatic climax, no moral exhortation, but gently leads the audience through memories and the present, through haunting everyday dialogues.

Director Minh Nhat was so lucky to choose to "hide" so that the character could appear through actions and honest words. Comedian Viet Huong had monologues that were almost whispering but contained so much turmoil.

The gold medals awarded to both actors at the festival not only recognized their acting, but also the achievement of a literary way of making theater, paying attention to details, restraining expression and provoking the audience to reflect.

People's Artist Tran Minh Ngoc commented: "I am very happy to see that today's young directors do not follow market effects but return to the core of theater: scripts with depth and characters with inner feelings. They understand that without literature and ideological foundation, theater is just a short-term form of entertainment."

Accompanying famous artists

An important factor that helps literary plays spread is the serious participation of many famous artists. This time they gathered at the New Stage, all are familiar faces in movies and comedy stages, but in recent plays, they accepted to take a step back, leaving behind the exaggerated acting style to delve into the depth of the characters' psychology.

Meritorious Artist Ca Le Hong shared: "It is not easy for a comedian to switch to political drama or psychological drama, but Hoai Linh and Viet Huong have done it. I think the great credit lies in the literary script and the director's alertness. When literature leads the way, the artist will be placed in the right emotional system to express without getting lost."

According to Ms. Ca Le Hong, literature does not make the stage heavy or difficult to understand if it is handled delicately. Plays such as: "A Love Affair", "Lost in the Sea of People", "Emotional Reunion", "Deep Night", "Another War", "Sugar-Coated Bullet"... are proof.

The audience can still laugh at the charming comedic situations, but they are smiles of humanity, sometimes with gentle tears falling. Political plays still need charming comedic performances, so they should be restrained and adhere to the situation" - Meritorious Artist Ca Le Hong added.

A direction that needs to be nurtured

The return of literary elements in contemporary theater in Ho Chi Minh City, through the work of young directors, is a necessary foundation for building a lasting identity.

In the context of Ho Chi Minh City theater lacking new quality scripts that closely follow current events, investing in staging works that exploit psychological life, family affection, love and memories... in the spirit of literature is a direction that needs to continue to be supported and developed.

Right after "A Love Affair", New Stage will continue with "A Boarding House with Many Tropes", "The Phantom of Le Hoa Theater"... showing a rich orientation in genres and reaching audiences of many classes.

If successful, this catwalk will become a model worth learning from when looking for what is rustic - profound - genuine.

"No need for a big stage, no need for fancy lighting, no need for complicated techniques, just a good story and realistic characters, today's stage in Ho Chi Minh City can still move the audience. That is being proven by emotional plays, from the hands of young directors and the companionship of dedicated artists" - People's Artist Tran Minh Ngoc analyzed.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/chat-van-hoc-nang-tam-hai-kich-196250729201030119.htm