Australian-Vietnamese theatre actress Thanh Hằng, a veteran of cải lương (reformed opera), will perform in a mini show in HCM City celebrating her 40-year-long career. (Photo courtesy of the artist)

HCM CITY — Australian-Vietnamese theatre actress Thanh Hằng, a veteran of cải lương (reformed opera), will perform in a mini show in HCM City celebrating her 40-year-long career. 

The show, Tài Danh Đất Việt - Đêm Tôn Vinh (Vietnamese artists of cải lương – Night of the Art), will feature famous songs and plays of cải lương in the 1970s and 80s in the south. 

She will stage extracts from the historical play Tiếng Trống Mê Linh (The Sounds of Mê Linh Drum), a production about the true story of Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị known as Hai Bà Trưng, the sisters who led the fight for the country’s independence from the Han Dynasty in the first century. 

Hằng will perform with cải lương stars Vũ Luân and Thanh Ngân, who have played a role in the 100-year-old development of the art form. 

"I hope my show will help fans, particularly youth, understand why and how cải lương is the spirit of Vietnamese people," said Hằng, who returned to live in HCM City in 2016 after 15 years away from home. 

Veteran actress Thanh Hằng ( left) has worked to preserve cải lương. (Photo courtesy of the HCM City Theatre Artists' Association)

Born in 1959 to a traditional family in Tiền Giang Province, Hằng began her love for cải lương through her parents, talented performers Hương Huyền and Kim Hoa. 

She worked for the Thanh Minh -Thanh Nga Troupe, one of the regon’s leading cải lương theatres. 

She played leading roles in famous plays, such as Xuân Thăng Long (Spring in Thăng Long Citadel) in 1982, Truyền Thuyết Tình Yêu (Legent of the Love) in 1991 and Duyên Kiếp (Love of Fate) in 1997. 

She won seven top prizes at national traditional theatre contests and festivals launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Việt Nam Theatre Association. 

In the 1990s, Hằng decided to challenge herself as a movie actress and performed in 13 films. All of her roles feature the culture and lifestyle of southern women. 

Hằng has performed in 30 cải lương plays and dozens of TV shows, and has worked to expand cải lương to fans. 

“My love for cải lương keeps my mind, body and soul healthy,” said Hằng, who said she found it difficult to perform cải lương in Australia.

Hằng’s show, Tài Danh Đất Việt-Đêm Tôn Vinh, will begin at 8pm at the We, 8 Lê Quý Đôn Street, District 3, on April 4. VNS