The play Dế Mèn (Cricket) will be adapted from Dế Mèn Phiêu Lưu Ký (The Adventures of the Cricket) by writer Tô Hoài. Photo vov.vn

HÀ NỘI — Lệ Ngọc Theatre will introduce two plays, Dế Mèn (Cricket) and Làm Vua (the King), in the coming months despite the challenges facing Việt Nam's theatres these days.

According to its managers, the two plays will be performed on the occasion of National Reunification Day on April 30 and President Hồ Chí Minh’s birthday on May 19.

Dế Mèn will be scripted by playwright Lê Chí Trung and directed by People’s Artist Nguyễn Tiến Dũng, also the director of the Vietnam National Puppetry Theatre. It is adapted from the popular children’s novel Dế Mèn Phiêu Lưu Ký (The Adventures of the Cricket) by author Tô Hoài.

The producers said the play will feature the exciting adventures of the main character, the cricket, during which a lively colourful world of creatures will be presented to the audience.

“Via the exciting adventures of the cricket, the play conveys the message of a spirit of inquisitiveness and discovery, in addition to the motherhood that is embodied by the character of the mother cricket who always accompanies her child in every failure and success,” said Dũng.

In Dế Mèn, Dũng will integrate many creative elements to the stage to enthrall the young audience, “with the aim of making a fun and interesting play that is also capable of conveying educational messages and being appropriate to children’s psychology.”

Written by Nguyễn Đăng Chương and directed by artist Lê Quý Dương, Làm Vua is a theatrical work honouring King Đinh Tiên Hoàng, the founder of the Đinh Dynasty and the kingdom of Đại Cồ Việt (968-1054).

Set in the Đinh dynasty, the play features stories about King Đinh Tiên Hoàng in the relationship with other royal family members and other historical figures like Queen Dương Vân Nga, General Lê Hoàn and Princess Phất Kim.

Director Lê Quý Dương said that the quality of the script was why he accepted the invitation to work with the Lệ Ngọc Theatre in staging Làm Vua.

The two plays will be performed by artists of the theatre such as People's Artist Lệ Ngọc, Văn Hải, Lâm Cương, Châu Sa and Huy Hoàng.

Speaking at the press conference introducing the launch of two plays, Trịnh Thúy Mùi, the chairwoman of the Vietnam Theatre Artists Association said she was taken by surprise because no theatre in the country has staged two plays at one time in present days.

"We have always asked the question where the theatres are but have never been answered because they are encountering too many difficulties, particularly in 2021.

“When Lệ Ngọc Theatre announced that they would launch two plays at one time, I thought they were too risky. But when I studied carefully, I found that they are following the right way within their capacity,” she said.

Artists from Lệ Ngọc will perform two plays at one time to the audience on the occasion of the national Reunification Day on April 30 and President Hồ Chí Minh’s birthday on May 19. Photo sggp.org.vn

Explaining the decision, Nguyễn Thế Vinh, the executive director of Lệ Ngọc Theatre said the unit expects to serve new spiritual dishes full of emotions to the audience, especially children.

At the same time, the performances of two plays will kick off activities of the theatres in the capital after a period of inactivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, the theatre staged nearly 200 performances. VNS