Tooink, toink, toink … Bar notes sprung out from Huynh Chau’s electric guitar, sweetly connecting the “xuong xe” (low note) from the middle-aged guest singer on the corner stage. Applause exploded from the restaurant patrons. Through the thick smoke, again in a chorus they lifted the glasses and yelled “do” (“let’s drink”).
When Truong Giang finished off the “Luu Binh Duong Le” number, he smilingly passed the mike to another patron. Like everyone else at “Pho Hoa An” restaurant tonight, he often came here to drink, to be merry with his friends, and to sing and listen to “Vong Co” – Vietnamese opera.
In recent years, traditional Vietnamese opera has been exploding in the Little Saigon (Orange County, California). Similar back home, Vong Co is being revived and adapted to the new environment to overcome the modern difficulties so that its addictive melody can continue to touch the hearts of the many fans. Vong Co and songs like “Nam Xuan, Nai Ai, Phuong Hoang, Ly Con Sao,” … is echoing and creating a friendly atmosphere at nightclubs and restaurants, where the guests could perform in the weekend evenings. In addition to theater performances organized by a number of playwrights, and several music studios have also caught the fan’s pulse and produced CDs and tapes.
“ I think the popularity of opera has been particularly strong in the last few years in part due to radio opera programs like the Little Saigon Radio’s weekly “Thanh Am Triu Men” (“The soothing sound”) program. “Among the newly arrived immigrants, there are many opera fans who love to perform,” observed musician Chi Tam who has 40 years of opera stage performance.
“Thanh Am Triu Men”, which has been broadcasting on every Wednesday afternoons since 1995, is a creation of the late musician Viet Hung and it is being continued by Ngoc Nuoi with regular contributions from Tam Tri, Dung Thanh Lam, and Chi Tam. The program not only plays these musicians’ solos and full orchestras but also broadcasts live singings from the audience who called in.
To the Vietnamese opera professionals, their stages are the big restaurants. Based on “Thanh Am Triu Men” program, musician Chi Tam hatched the idea of organizing live Vong Co performances. Although his “Nhom San Khau Van Lang,” (“Van Lang Theater Troupe”) – which he led with his partner Chi Tuan – is not only game in town but they have been the most consistent. Since last April, the group has performed six engagements. Evening programs of “Hoa Ca Co Nhac” (“Opera Orchestra”) at Seafood Paracel restaurant have been attracting nearly 450 fans, who tightly filling up all the seats.
Thrice composer Yen Lang tested the market with plays such as “Co Gai Viet” and “Nguoi Chinh Binh My” (written by Thai Quoc Nam with Yen Lang directed) and two of his own “Dem Lanh Chua Hoang” and Nang Thu Ve Ngo Truc.” Unfortunately, these performances did not attract large audience to justify the efforts and investment in equipments for sound, staging, lighting, and costumes, which have dramatically improved since their first engagement.
However, to the younger musicians, they believe to have the opportunity to perform is already a satisfaction. New generation opera singers like Dan Phuong, Minh Hung, Lam Trieu, and Quoc Nam are happy to sing anywhere. Two years ago, Dan Phuong, an accounting graduate from Cal State Long Beach and is now working in real estate, got encouragement from family and friends and participated in the Opera Singing Competition sponsored by the Go Cong Friendship Association. She won second place (Minh Hung grabbed the first prize). Currently Dan Phuong and Minh Hung are racing to finish rehearsing “Dua Con Hoang Dang,” a new play from composer Thai Quoc Nam with plan to debut by next April. This will be the first-ever Vietnamese opera based on a story of Jesus.
Young opera singers often confide that with their daily studies and heavy workloads, they could only have one or two hours on front of the mirrors. Only on the weekends that they could get together and merge their parts.
“I work at a machine shop so I don’t have much time,” said Minh Hung. “May be I am blessed by the ancestors because I don’t often forget the plays.” Since winning the grand prize, Minh Hung has participated in a number of plays and had opportunities to learn new roles. Lam Trieu, on the other hand, is more interested in acting. Each day after work, he would stand on front of the mirror and rehearse different expressions like happy, sad, anger, tormented… In return, he has demonstrated his talents in roles such as comedians in “Co Gai Viet,” “Nguoi Chien Binh My,” and “Gia Me Luat,” and an authority figure in “Nang Thu Ve Ngo Truc.” Although busy with his studies at UCI, Quoc Nam has been a regular in a number of programs with songs composed by Van Huong.
Dang Phuong, Minh Hung, Lam Trieu, and Quoc Nam are the new faces in the opera scene. According to Nganh Mai, head of the overseas Association of Traditional Music of Southern Vietnam, the 2001 opera competition (“Tuyen Lua Ca Si Co Nhac 2001”) was created to target the young audience.
“It was the first competition organized by the Association so the awareness was not well known. However in our next event I hope the media would help with the publicity to foster the trend further,” said Nganh Mai.
“The popularity of Vietnamese opera music is gaining overseas,” said Hoang Nguyen, president of Bien Tinh center. “I have seen youths looking for opera music CDs to buy.” According to Hoang, this young audience tends to search for well known pre-75 opera CDs – may be it is due to recommendation from their parents – or to select Manh Quynh and Phi Nhung. These twos came from pop music but they sing hybrid opera-pop music in the Thuy Nga Paris video productions.
Opera productions have become increasingly diverse but not well developed commercially. An average ticket price for a “Hoa Ca Co Nhac”, or complete orchestra show, is $35 with VIP at $40 to cover the basic costs for sound, stage, and meals. “Singers don’t get much money. We perform because we love the opera,” singer Linh Tuan said. Tickets for a non full-orchestra opera at theater are priced from $20 to $30, cheaper than most pop music programs (typically ranging from $30 to $75). Costumes are brought from Vietnam so these are not so expensive.
With so many entertainment options, the audience has begun to demand higher quality. Many want to see new plays. “The audience now wants to see full, complete plays,” musician Chi Tam said. At their seventh “Hoa Ca Co Nhac” scheduled for March, the San Khau Van Lang troupe will perform a complete play “Dua Con Bat Dac Di,” composed by Chi Tam and adapted from “Ach Giua Dang,” a play of La Thoai Tan (this play was performed in Paris once in 1981).
Although the audience number is climbing, producing new performers in this environment is not easy. “In Vietnam, each musician in a musical troupe must constantly practice. After each performance they would reflect for improvement,” composer Yen Lang said. “Here you have to try really hard to have a couple of performances and then grind for a long time before you can put together a show.” Artists like Chi Tam, Linh Tuan, and Yen Lang are planning to organize classes to teach singing, dancing, analyzing plays, ..etc, with the aim to produce a new generation of performers.
However, from the fans to the opera professionals, everyone is optimistic about the future of Vietnamese Vong Co overseas.