The play "Vo Nguyen Giap - General of the People" premiered to the public

(Baonghean) - The play "Vo Nguyen Giap - The People's General", scriptwriter: Vu Hai, folk song script: artist An Ninh, director: People's Artist Le Hung and People's Artist Hong Luu, has a duration of 90 minutes, including 6 acts with nearly 60 actors practicing for nearly 5 months. From act I through to act VI, the image of the old veteran is played by artist Thanh Vinh.

People's Artist Trinh Hong Luu - Deputy Director of the Center for Preservation and Promotion of Nghe An Folk Heritage happily shared: "The play is not only a story about the military art of a talented general who excellently implemented the people's war ideology of President Ho Chi Minh, but also wants to explore more deeply the human aspect: Vo Nguyen Giap - the general of the people and Vo Nguyen Giap - the general of peace... The land and people of Nghe An also influenced and contributed to the formation of Vo Nguyen Giap's personality.

That was patriot Phan Boi Chau - the person who imparted to him the spirit of patriotism. The meeting between General Vo Nguyen Giap and Uncle Ho had historical significance, to create an era together, to become great men together, to leave a great spiritual legacy for the Vietnamese people and all of humanity. Two girls from Nghe An with perfect virtues, beauty, speech and conduct accompanied the General on the glorious and difficult journeys of life - the revolutionary and martyr Nguyen Thi Quang Thai (younger sister of revolutionary Nguyen Thi Minh Khai) and Professor Dang Bich Ha (daughter of Professor Dang Thai Mai). The person who adapted the folk song script, artist An Ninh, wrote: "Oh, two girls from Nghe An. Each with a different look, but as if reserved for me. If Quang Thai breathed into me the will and spirit of being human, then Bich Ha quietly imbued me with the love of life and the meaning of life. Two loving hearts, two girls from Nghe An. Like a quiet underground stream bathing my soul" (excerpt from Act V)

A scene from the play "Vo Nguyen Giap - General of the People".

To complete this 90-minute Art Program, the efforts of the Board of Directors, staff, and actors of the Center for Preservation and Promotion of Nghe An Folk Heritage are truly remarkable. The two actors assigned to play General Vo Nguyen Giap had to consider a lot. According to People's Artist Hong Luu, this is an extremely difficult role. To play the role well, the artist must have a fairly extensive knowledge of the General, and a long process of studying him. The two actors playing the role of the General were assigned to Meritorious Artist Minh Tue (first 4 acts) and Meritorious Artist Que Chung (acts V and VI), each with their own style and strengths. Meritorious Artist Minh Tue has the strength of the "martial" character in General Giap. He played General Giap from his youth until the end of the war, commanding the Dien Bien Phu campaign.

Although Minh Tue's age is slightly different from General Giap's when he was young, his acting talent has transformed him quite well, especially coordinating very well with young artist Mai Le (playing Nguyen Thi Quang Thai). Although we only watched the rehearsal, Minh Tue and Mai Le's farewell scene made us cry. Meritorious Artist Minh Tue not only has the advantage of smooth singing and a warm Nghe voice, but also has expressions on his face, eyes, gestures, gait, voice... making many viewers feel moved when meeting the General in his youth. He confided: "All the roles of leaders and celebrities require very strict requirements.

For us artists, being assigned this role is an honor, a joy, but also a great pressure and challenge." He also shared that he dreamed of playing the role of the General once again because he had previously played the role of the General in another play. During nearly 5 months of practice, there was rain, cold and even hot summer days, many nights, when the whole family was fast asleep, he quietly practiced the role, ate, slept and dreamed... of the role. He tried to exploit and study videotapes, documents, and articles about the life and career of the General very carefully.

As for Meritorious Artist Que Chung, he plays the role of a General in times of peace, the strength lies in patience - the "literary" part of his personality. Que Chung successfully portrayed the General when he was far from the sword and gun but still had a heart full of pain for the Revolution. Meritorious Artist Que Chung's advantage is his soft voice and singing. He confided: "Not only me but all the actors of Nghe An Folk Song Theatre were deeply moved when they received this script. Therefore, each of our roles is like a stick of incense offered to the General."

Article and photos:Thu Huong