HCM CITY — A new play by the HCM City Theatre is attracting attention with its fairytale romance. 

Nàng Xuân Đại Náo (Miss Spring Acts) is a New Year musical about the love between a poor student and a beautiful girl named Xuân, the daughter of a mandarin.

It is about the hurdles they face to their love and how they battle to overcome them.

Lê Diễn, its director and deputy director of the theatre, said: "This season we offer audiences a new taste of drama full of music and images.

"All our staff worked hard every day to improve their modulation and acting."

"We want audiences to see love as a wonderful thing that can keep people alive." 

The play would shine a light on good men and their “beautiful mind” and love, he said.

Nàng Xuân Đại Náo was written by Vương Huyền Cơ, a strong advocate of reforming theatre and also a cultural researcher.

He backed Diễn’s idea of staging his work as a musical and told him to get young musicians to create music for the play because "I wanted my play, an old story, to be modern in both language and music."  

Diễn said the play’s costume designers worked hard to create clothes in a mix of traditional and modern styles.

“We hope our creative approach towards the play will provide a relaxing and humorous evening for the audience on New Year.”  

The play features dozens of well-known actors like Anh Tuấn, Mai Phương and Việt Hà and fashion model Trúc Diễm, who plays the titular role.

Diễn got the super model, who is admittedly not renowned for her acting skills, to play Xuân and explained: “I decided to cast Diễm in this role because no one can deliver the image of Xuân to audiences better than a beauty queen. I believe her appearance will dazzle theatre lovers.”

Nguyễn Nam Thắng, a second-year student at the HCM City University of Theatre and Cinematography, said: "I can’t imagine how Diễm and her young colleagues will perform on stage. But I’m waiting to see their creation.”

Thắng and his friends usually watch plays every Christmas and New Year.

Nàng Xuân Đại Náo will premiere on December 30 at the HCM City Theatre, 30 Trần Hưng Đạo Street, District 1.

It will then be staged every weekend until the Lunar New Year, which falls on January 28.—VNS