South Korean director Cho Joon Hui. Photo courtesy of Việt Nam Drama Theatre

A new musical titled Cafe Bánh Mì (Coffee and Baguette) is being produced in a collaboration between the Việt Nam Drama Theatre and a team of South Korean artists led by director Cho Joon Hui. The production will be the theatre's first musical with a patriotic theme.

Director Cho speaks to Việt Nam News and Law about the musical production.

What made you decide to do the musical?

When I was a high school student, I was impressed by Vietnamese performing arts, which are traditional and unique. I still remember the first Vietnamese performance I saw; it was a water puppet show about working life and family life. I found it fascinating and funny.

Last year, when I taught at Dongguk's Department of Theatre, one of my students introduced me to artists from the Việt Nam Drama Theatre. Later, I came to Việt Nam and saw a play with a patriotic theme. It helped me understand more about Vietnamese performing arts, and I admire Vietnamese artists.

From a professional perspective, I believe that Vietnamese performing arts have an important and prominent role in Asian art.

Thanks to my student, I came to learn about Seo Sang-wan's script for Coffee and Baguette. Along with artists Park Hyun-woo and Kiều Minh Hiếu from the Việt Nam Drama Theatre, we decided to do the musical.

I have wanted to make a musical about history and the revolution for independence and freedom, but in our country today there is not much interest in artistic works related to these themes.

But in Việt Nam it is quite different. I really admire the patriotism of Vietnamese people. After watching events in Việt Nam in the media recently, I feel the pride of the Vietnamese and the gratitude of young people to their ancestors, which I find moving.

That is why I want to make a musical expressing my love and admiration for President Hồ Chí Minh, as well as the patriotic Vietnamese people.

What is the musical about?

It is about Việt Nam during the painful time of war, and focuses on the lesser-known stories of patriotic citizens, particularly those from the petite bourgeoisie, who sacrificed both wealth and life in pursuit of Việt Nam’s independence.

The main character representing this class in the musical is based on a real historical figure.

How did you research the people and history of Việt Nam when creating the musical?

I read a lot of documents, but honestly with so much information, I was overwhelmed. The script Seo and I wrote had strong support from Vietnamese partners. After more than a year of discussion, we came to an agreement to tell the story of real characters during a special period of Việt Nam's history.

What impressed me most in the script was the tolerance of the Vietnamese people. Việt Nam is a very strong, peace-loving nation. And I think that only strong people can forgive their enemy.

I also visited the Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum. President Hồ Chí Minh's saying, "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom", has great ideological value. It is highlighted in the musical.

A scene from the musical 'Cafe Bánh Mì' (Coffee and Baguette). Photo hanoimoi.vn

Why is it a musical? And is it difficult for you to work with drama artists?

First of all, my expertise is musical. I have been working on Korean musicals for 30 years, and I am a lecturer with experience in training musical actors.

Although the theatre artists are veterans and they have performed in war-themed plays, musicals are new to them.

We began the project at the end of 2024. The artists worked hard practising their vocals and combining singing and acting. I decided to reduce the dancing in the production to make it easier for the artists, but they are very professional.

Language is not a barrier, because we have music and art in common. I can see the development of the performing arts scene in Việt Nam, including musicals. I believe that these types of performances have great potential here.

In 1994, I studied musicals in the US. At that time, in South Korea, nobody was interested in musicals. South Korean audiences watched Hong Kong movies, which had a major impact on Korean acting. But now everything has changed. After 30 years, South Korean musicals are highly appreciated by the world, receiving prestigious international awards. It took South Korea 30 years to achieve this, but I believe Việt Nam only needs 10 years.

We want to contribute to making something amazing. Coffee and Baguette is the first musical we have made in Việt Nam. Hopefully it will become one of several seeds that can be sown for a successful harvest for Vietnamese musicals in the near future.

When will your production be performed?

We plan to bring the musical to South Korea, Japan and maybe France. Through art, we hope that Hồ Chí Minh's thoughts on peace, independence, freedom and human rights will spread more widely in other countries. His thoughts contain universal human values ​​and are loved everywhere in the world.

We do not set any commercial goals for this work. My experience is that if you think about money while making art, money will not come.

First of all, we want the audience to see that this is a mainstream work by Vietnamese and Korean artists. Then we hope the audience will recognise and welcome a work about patriotic Vietnamese people, and when they finish watching they will stand up and applaud with strong emotions. The recognition of the audience is the greatest reward for us. VNS