HCM CITY — The concert version of a Broadway-style musical play based on a book by noted writer Tô Hoài (1920-2014) will be performed at HCM City’s Opera House at 8pm on December 29, while the completed show will debut in June 2019.

Dế Mèn Phiêu Lưu Ký (Diary of a Cricket) is the brainchild of composer Vũ Việt Anh, based a children’s story of the same name by writer Tô Hoài which has been translated into nearly 40 languages.

“I have tried my best to put into the musical details I found interesting and meaningful in the story,” Anh said. “For example, the desire of young people to travel widely, warnings about nature being destroyed, conflicts in society and conflict inside the main character.”

The show’s poster.

“Above all, it shows a peaceful world of friendships, without misunderstanding between different species," he said.

The play uses various styles for its background music including pop, rock, classical and Vietnamese folk music.

In the debut show, artists from the HCM City Opera, Ballet and Symphony Orchestra will play under the baton of conductor Trần Nhật Minh.

The theatre’s symphony orchestra, pop band, folk musicians, choir and ballet dancers will perform together with talented vocalists and dancers like Võ Hạ Trâm, Đào Mác, Nguyễn Duyên Quỳnh, Trần Thanh Nam, Phan Hữu Trung Kiệt and Vũ Minh Trí.

Artists rehearse on stage for Diary of a Cricket. — Photo thegioidienanh.vn

According to the organising team, the complete version of the Broadway-style musical with proper acting, staging and lighting will debut by June, 2019.

Composer Việt Anh is known for various popular songs like Dòng Sông Lơ Đãng (Gently River), Không Còn Mùa Thu (No Other Autumn) and Đêm Nằm Mơ Phố (Dream of Streets). After graduating from an MA course on composing in New Zealand, he has composed various pieces for orchestra like Untilte (2013); Trường Sơn (2014); Skyline (2015) and many pieces for dancing. He now works in New Zealand.

Diary of a Cricket, first released in 1941, is the most popular children’s story by Tô Hoài. It features an adventure of a cricket through the world of small species. With his literary talent, Hoài created a vivid world of insects and other small creatures with various human-like characters. The cricket proves to be kind-hearted and brave, though sometimes arrogant. In his journey, he learns various lessons like how to escape from danger and how to treat his enemies and friends.

The work is considered a classical piece of literature for children and is taught in grade six in schools. — VNS