Actors from the IDECAF drama troupe will present the new musical Học Viện Phép Thuật – Trùm Cuối Xuất Hiện là Tới Công Chiện! (Magical Academy – The Last Evil) to entertain children this summer. — File photo from the IDECAF fanpage

HCM CITY — The HCM City-based IDECAF, one of the region’s leading private drama troupes, is working on a new musical to entertain children this summer.

The play, Học Viện Phép Thuật – Trùm Cuối Xuất Hiện là Tới Công Chiện! (Magical Academy – The Last Evil), is the latest production of a long-term theatre programme called Ngày Xửa Ngày Xưa (Once Upon a Time).

The production, written by Quang Thảo and directed by Đình Toàn, tells a fantasy story about fights between good and evil.

The play is set in the fairy world, where the Creator establishes the Magic Academy. He also creates a magical stone to maintain the balance between good and evil.

However, during the process, he causes an incident and creates Ghost Doll, a doll with a scary appearance but a warm-hearted soul. The doll feels alienated from the academy and finds difficulty earning a place there.

When the Dark Lork escapes from the magic stone and tries to destroy the fairy world, Ghost Doll, the students and teachers at the academy set aside their differences and join to fight the evil.

Friendship, bravery, solidarity, kindness, empathy and the right to be different are also highlighted in the play.

Director Toàn, who also plays the leading role of Ghost Doll, emphasised that the play is “a fairy tale that contains many different tales.”

The play stars celebrated artists Mỹ Duyên, Hoàng Trinh, Thanh Thúy, Hồng Ánh and Đại Nghĩa, and cải lương (reformed opera) star Bạch Long, who have participated in Ngày Xửa Ngày Xưa for years.

It also attracts young faces, such as Trà Ngọc, Kan Lê and Việt Trang.

Comic actor Đại Nghĩa said his character in the new play is different from those in the previous Ngày Xửa Ngày Xưa plays, and added that the play promises to bring a lot of joy and surprises to the audience, particularly children.

Học Viện Phép Thuật – Trùm Cuối Xuất Hiện là Tới Công Chiện! will premiere on May 31 at the Bến Thành Theatre, 6 Mạc Đỉnh Chi Street, Sài Gòn Ward.

According to the theatre, more than 7,000 tickets for the first eight performances of the show are almost sold out, with just some balcony tickets available.

The theatre will present the show during the summer, serving as an entertainment spot for all family members.

Ngày Xửa Ngày Xưa was initiated in 2000 to provide young audiences with new concepts and techniques in Vietnamese drama. Many generations of artists have worked hard to foster a love of theatre among children and teenagers.

Last year, the programme offered Hậu Duệ Thần Mặt Trời (Descendants of the Sun God), the 36th musical, as a celebration of its 25th anniversary.

The play, inspired by Eastern Asian legends, conveys messages of filial piety, compassion and the desire for goodness as core values ​​of Vietnamese culture. — VNS