A scene from the play “The Poison Cup” – Photo: Vietnam Drama Theater
“The Poison Cup” is chaired by the Vietnam Stage Artists Association, in collaboration with the Vietnam Drama Theater, the Youth Theater, etc.
The play “The Cup of Poison” by Vu Dinh Long is considered a work marking the formation and development of Vietnamese theater and drama. The play was first performed on October 22, 1921 at the Hanoi Opera House.
The story in the play “The Cup of Poison” revolves around the family of Mr. Thong Thu – a well-off civil servant. Faced with the temptations of colonial urban society, his family members were all depraved, focusing on their own pleasures and ignoring morality and family responsibilities. His mother and wife only indulged in trafficking in gods and selling the saints, and his younger sister was spoiled and pregnant… The main character – Mr. Thong Thu is also a lover of music, singing, playing and frequenting brothels.
When the family routine was turned upside down, family life began to crack, and debts were everywhere, and only then did Mr. Thong Thu come to his senses, but it was too late. To escape poverty, he decided to drink a cup of poison to commit suicide. Fortunately, then an incident happened in time to save Mr. Thong Thu’s life, moreover, with the help of a distant brother, in the end, he kept his family and had the opportunity to redo his life…
A scene from the play “The Poison Cup” – Photo: Vietnam Drama Theater
“The Poison Cup” was re-edited by the talented hand of the director, Meritorious Artist Bui Nhu Lai. True to the director’s sharing, with this remake, the work still retains the spirit and structure of the play but has an attractive and contemporary rhythm suitable for today’s audience.
The work was started and staged from the beginning of October 2021, jointly performed by the Vietnam Drama Theater and the Youth Theater. Talking about the enthusiasm when recreating “The Poison Cup” on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Vietnamese Drama stage, People’s Artist Trinh Thuy Mui shared: “We mobilized the enthusiasm of professionals to create a play bearing the mark of 100 years of establishment and development of Vietnamese theater and drama. This is not only an opportunity for us to review the history of theatrical art but also to show the succession of generations, bringing the achievements of the previous generation to the modern”.
“The Poison Cup” by Vu Dinh Long was edited by Do Tri Hung; assistant: Tung Linh; directed by: Meritorious Artist Bui Nhu Lai. The show has the participation of many famous artists of many theaters such as People’s Artist Le Khanh, People’s Artist Viet Thang, Meritorious Artist Xuan Bac, Meritorious Artist Mai Nguyen, Meritorious Artist Hoai Thu, Duy Anh, Thanh Binh, Thanh Duong, Khuat Quynh Hoa, Viet Hoa, Quynh Duong, Truong Thu Ha, Hong Phuc, etc.
A scene from the play “The Poison Cup” – Photo: Vietnam Drama Theater
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Vietnamese theater stage from October 21 to 27, 2021, “The Poison Cup” had a successful first night at the Vietnam Drama Theater on the evening of October 18, 2021.
Along with “The Poison Cup”, on this occasion, many beloved theatrical works were also introduced to the public at the Hanoi Opera House such as The Good Man of House No. 5 (evening of October 22 evening), Who is the culprit (evening of October 24), Eucalyptus willow (evening of October 25), Must have three dong (October 26)… Hopefully, these will be the nights that bring a vibrant atmosphere back to the capital’s stage after a long time of “freezing” because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Huyen Chi