(VOVworld) – “The tale of Kieu” by famous Vietnamese poet Nguyen Du has been adapted to several genres including Cheo popular theater and Tuong classical opera. A memorable scene featuring a jealous lady from “The tale of Kieu” has been adapted for a Cheo performance in Chuong village, Tan Phong district, Hai Duong province as part of activities to honor Nguyen Du on his 250^th birthday.

Over the last few months, Nguyen Ba Vang and a number of Chuong villagers have gathered at the culture house every day to rehearse a piece of Cheo based on the jealousy scene in “The Tale of Kieu”. Vang said: “We are farmers so we only have time to practice in the evening. Everyone likes to read “The tale of Kieu”. I just play the music. The others have to work harder to express the feeling and personality of their character.”  “Jealous Hoan Thu” is one of Nguyen Du’s most dramatic and profound scenes. His skillful use of words captures the personality of two love rivals: beautiful Thuy Kieu and Hoan Thu, of royal blood, who has a subtle way of showing her jealousy. Vu Thi Ha, who plays Hoan Thu, says:  “I didn’t think I could play this character at first. I had to practice singing at home while holding my grandson and performing while he slept.”

It was impossible to find a man for the scene because all the male villagers were away on business so all 7 characters in the scene are played by women. 49-year-old Nguyen Thi Tuoi plays a servant in Hoan Thu’s house, one of the two clowns in the scene:  “I found it hard to make the audience laugh so I had to ask for help from a lady in a Cheo troupe in a nearby village. She helped me to achieve a more agile and subtle performance. The audience’s laughter made me feel more confident.”

Nguyen Huy Lap adapted “Jealous Hoan Thu”, a script by playwright Phuong Van for Cheo theater. Despite a lack of academic training, a great love for Cheo incuded Lap to stage a Cheo version of “The tale of Kieu” in Chuong village:  “I had to read through the script many times to find dialogue and actions suitable to Cheo singing.  The clown plays an important role in Cheo as he connects the other characters. We prepared, rehearsed, and performed all by ourselves.”

“Jealous Hoan Thu” is the 3^rd Cheo performance by Chuong villagers.