HCM CITY — Vietnamese-American comedian Việt Hương will return to the stage for a live show to celebrate her 20-year career in HCM City.   

Hương’s Show at the 7th Military Zone Gymnasium will also be her biggest-ever live show.

More than 11,000 tickets will be delivered free to students from local colleges and universities.

"My show will include excerpts from quality plays on social problems," she said.

Hương is hoping that the event, which will feature comic actors Công Ninh, Minh Nhí and Hữu Tín as well as pop stars Đan Trường and Phương Thanh, will attract many young people.

"To attract youth, we need to offer productions with an unusual performing style," the 37-year-old said. 

The highlight of the show will be Trò Đùa Người Lớn (The Game) and Nữ Sinh (Schoolgirls), both three-act plays that have made Hương famous for more than two decades.

“I think comedians should develop the genre with their skills and creativity,” said Hương, adding that her art brings both smiles and tears to audiences.  

Hương invited pop singers because “I want to renew the theatre by combining drama and music”.

She will perform excerpts from comedies Đại Gia Đình (Great Family) and Một Ngày Xui Xẻo (A Bad Day), which have been staged by Hương for Vietnamese in France and the US, with support from singers Đan Trường and Phương Thanh. 

Hương began her career at a very early age. She won second prize for Best Comic Actress at the National Professional Theatre Festival in HCM City in 1995 when she was at the City’s College of Arts and Theatre (now  HCM City University of Theatre and Cinematography). 

In 2002, she left the theatre to run her own troupe of young actors which offered cải lương (reformed theatre) in comedy films and comic shows.  

Her strong and melodic voice and remarkable stage presence helped Hương leave an indelible mark on the art, and she has used her popularity to promote the art form.

She has won several top prizes at theatre festivals and contests launched by prestigious organisations such as the HCM City Theatre’s Association, Việt Nam Television, HCM City Television and Người Lao Động (Labourers) newspapers.  

In 2007, Hương moved to live with her husband in California and now works as a freelance artiste.  

She has performed in more than 50 plays and dozens of videos and movies.

Her show will take place at 8pm on November 5 at the 7th Military Zone Gymnasium, 204 Hoàng Văn Thụ Street, Tân Bình District. — VNS