HCM CITY —  Art troupes and theatres in HCM City are offering new shows with a variety of interesting themes to celebrate the Christmas and New Year holiday season.

Two new plays about women and love will be staged next week by the Cải Lương (reformed opera) Trần Hữu Trang Theatre, one of the region’s leading traditional art troupes.

While Hoa Vương Tình Mộng (Dreaming Love) features veteran actresses Tú Sương and Hồng Thắm, Hiu Hiu Gió Bấc (Winter Wind) has attracted young talents Mỹ Hằng and Quỳnh Hương.

Both plays will use sound and lights effects to dazzle audiences.

“We want to stage love stories because they are what audiences, particularly youngsters, want to hear in Christmas. We decided to use our most beautiful and talented actresses for these shows because they’ll help to light up the night,” said Quỳnh Mai, the female director of Hoa Vương Tình Mộng.

The plays are being held on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and every Saturday and Sunday through January.

Like previous seasons, the young actors of the theatre will travel to rural districts to stage free performances at cultural centres during festival week. Shows based on historical events will be featured. For music fans, District 1’s Trống Đồng Stage on Cách Mạng Tháng Tám Street will offer a special music and song programme called Noel Trắng (White Noel) each night from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day.  

The event will attract music stars and bands, including pop idols Đông Nhi, Đàm Vĩnh Hưng and Giang Hồng Ngọc. Tickets, at VNĐ50,000 (US$21), are available at the box office. 

The music shows at the Youth Cultural House are well-known among local students and workers.

This season, the cultural house will stage two free outdoor programmes, Giáng Sinh Yêu Thương (Love in Christmas) and Mừng Xuân Mới (Celebrating New Spring) at its theatre in District 1. 

Both shows, providing various songs, dances, circuses and comedies, will begin on Christmas Eve and at night the first day of the New Year festival. More than 15,000 people are expected to join the concerts.

For more quiet selections, try the popular stages of Hồng Hạc Stage and Thế Giới Trẻ Theatre in District 1. 

Hồng Hạc Stage performs two new shows, I’m Đàn Bà (I’m A Woman) and Ngộ Nhận (Mistake), directed by young talents Tây Phong and Hạnh Thúy.

The play I’m Đàn Bà  tells of a group of four young women who face difficulties in life and love. The show’s young actors Anh Thơ and Bảo Trí will show off their skills in singing and dance.  

The serious play Ngộ Nhận features social problems in modern life.  

Another option for laughs is Hồn Anh Xác Em (Your Soul, My Body) staged by Thế Giới Trẻ.

"Like other theatres, we decided to stage comedies during Christmas and New Year’s because people want to be entertained and forget their problems after a year of hard work," said theatre director Bùi Quốc Bảo.

"We’re confident our shows will have a good profit during this season," he added. —VNS