Vietnamese audiences are being transported back in time and offered a wonderful chance to enjoy quintessentially Chinese performances by the phenomenal Beijing Opera troupe.
The Beijing Opera is famous worldwide for its music, vocal performance, mime, dance, and acrobatic displays. The uniquely Chinese art is seducing Vietnamese audience at the International Experimental Theater Festival which opened in Vietnam's capital Hanoi on Sunday.
Among performances by dozens of art troupes from a dozen of countries, including China, Greece and Japan, presented at the festival, the Beijing Opera is drawing a great deal of attention from local audience.
Luu Dieu Hoa, 27, after struggling to find a seat in the packed theater, said she was immediately captivated by the stunning performance of the Henan Beijing Opera Troupe in the "Ramayana" play.
The stage was set up with a simple red curtain and humble props like a table and a chair to help the audience extend their imagination.
In contrast, the richness of colors and patterns of the makeup and costumes immediately grabs the attention of the audience, who were visibly astonished by all the elaborate and colorful robes, accessories and crowns worn by the performers.
"My hands have turned red because I've been clapping so much," a smiling Hoa told Xinhua. "I've previously seen the Beijing Opera in some scenes of Chinese movies, but this is my first time to enjoy the art in person. The talented Chinese artists are simply wonderful," Hoa said.
The young lady said what she was impressed by the most was the artists could dance and sing beautifully at the same time.
"I like the role of 'Monkey King' in particular, as the actor showcases great acrobatic skills," said Hoa, also an actress.
"As a professional actress, I know it's extremely hard to perform such eye-catching acrobatics and to synchronize these with other performers while wearing cumbersome costumes," the actress explained, adding that she was astounded after watching the play.
Describing herself as a person who loves traditional values and art, Hoa said the "Beijing Opera and other traditional live acts are more interesting than television as the audience can enjoy directly interacting with actors and actresses."
Echoing Hoa, Le Tuyet Xuan, 64, said this was her first time watching the Beijing Opera in person. "The skillful physical performances and beautiful voices of the actors deeply impressed me," Xuan said.
"Some think only elderly people like me would enjoy watching the Beijing Opera or classical Vietnamese opera. However, many young people in the audience today shows there is no barrier to enjoy the art, be it language or age," Xuan said.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Thanh Van, a researcher from Hanoi Stage and Cinema University, told Xinhua the play has been praised by the audience as evidenced by the non-stop applause ringing out.
"To me, the performances have been wonderfully successful.'Ramayana' is a contemporary play with Western influences. It has been successfully transferred into mimes and has been customized with roles of Chinese culture. For example, the fairy image is now the Monkey King. This is a combination of both East and the West," explained Van.
Complimenting their performances, Van said it's hard to translate a foreign script to the traditional stage in general and on the Beijing Opera stage in particular.
"However, amazing actors and actresses here have produced the most dramatic scene when the Monkey King rescues the princess with over ten minutes of acrobatics and dance, in which language and texture of mime perfectly explain a Western script, which is a spectacular point," Van said.
The festival will last until Saturday.
