HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam Tuồng Theatre ended its 65-year-long journey on April 26, with a performance that was loaded with emotions from both the cast and the audience in its home at the renowned Hồng Hà Theatre building.

"Tình mẹ", or Mother's Love, was the Tuồng Theatre's final show.

Showcasing the oldest type of traditional Vietnamese opera performances, the theatre was founded in 1959 featuring a northern style of tuồng theatre and was run by a husband and wife team, People's Artist Quang Tốn and Bạch Trà. 

Over the long course of its existence, the Tuồng Theatre has had its ups and downs. Its history was closely aligned with the country's growth. It has become a cultural icon, a symbol of a common memory and the heart and soul of many generations of Vietnamese people. 

At the last showing of Mother's Love, the 65-year-old theatre bid farewell with deep gratitude and with several heartfelt moments from its cast before the final curtain call.

It was a fitting end. The revolutionary spirit of the show highlights the stoic Mother of Việt Nam in an epic theatrical work with deep feelings and sacrifices, bravery and heroic ideals. Each actor on the stage exuded a heart burning with love for the country and the common future of the nation.

On the 50th anniversary of national reunification, the price that our people were willing to pay for peace and independence was accurately portrayed in this play. It was a reminder for all of us to treasure the hard-earned peace of today, to value the past sacrifices of fallen soldiers and to never stop contributing to make the country flourish. 

Artist and actor Kim Ngân, who played Mother Lê in the performance, shared her thoughts: "I was deeply sad to learn that the show was to be our last. I couldn't describe the emotional stages that I've gone through. 

"I wanted to give it my best, my guts and soul, my love for the theatre. I've grown to be so much in love with it. I'd do what I can to make people aware of the great art of tuồng, about our Tuồng Theatre that has so many great plays and contributed so much to the art of tuồng."

Mạnh Linh, who plays Lê in the play, said: "Spending the past 20 years of my life at the Tuồng Theatre has been meaningful to me. Since the company will be restructured to adapt to new changes, I feel a great loss, as it was the place I started to learn to become an artist. I hold many wishes for the future endeavours of the company. 

Linh added: "Performing at the Tuồng Theatre for the last time, I would even burn myself on the stage if it would result in spreading the love for the art to as many young people as possible."

The artists all said that the art of tuồng will never die, that it will carry on the accumulated work of so many generations, including the well-known, great tuồng classics such as Sơn Hậu, Đào Tam Xuân the Rebel, Triệu Đình Long rescues the Lord and Đào Phi Phụng as well as Nghêu - Sò - Ốc - Hến, among many others. 

Other plays focus on national heroes, such as Princess An Tư, General Trần Hưng Đạo, Lady Warrior Bùi Thị Xuân, King Lê Lợi, Đề Thám, Chu Văn An, Princess Huyền Trân and Hà Nội Citadel Governor Nguyễn Tri Phương.

Smaller excerpts based on tuồng classics have been revived to be performed for tourists on weekday nights. These performances were rated among the world's most excellent entertainment in 2014. 

A chapter has been closed. Let's look forward to the next chapter, where the art of tuồng will thrive and become a part of the next generation. VNS