Artists remember playwright Lê Duy Hạnh three years after his death

Three years after playwright Lê Duy Hạnh’s death, director Lê Nguyên Đạt organized A Legendary Night at Trần Hữu Trang Theatre to remember his mentor and bring audiences back to his work.

The entire program drew from Hạnh’s writing. Some pieces helped artists win major prizes at talent festivals in Vietnam and abroad, while others have remained in the national repertoire for decades. The article presents his plays as works that have not grown old, continuing to live on as a valuable part of the theater’s heritage.

Tuyết Thu performed Hoàng hậu hai vua, portraying Queen Mother Dương Vân Nga as a widow facing internal enemies and external threats while governing for her young son. The character ultimately gives the imperial robe to Lê Hoàn, recognizing that the country belongs to its people rather than to one dynasty.

Bình Tinh played Ngọc Hân in Hồn thơ ngọc, showing a woman who protects her honor after the Tây Sơn dynasty falls. Carrying her young child while fleeing persecution, she reveals the strength and dignity represented by the play’s image of a precious jewel. In Người cáo, Hạnh turns from historical figures to questions about art and an artist’s return to his roots after losing his way.

The evening also connected several generations of performers. Trọng Nhân, still in his twenties, took on the experimental solo play Diễn kịch một mình, shifting between a loyal official, a king and a treacherous minister. His nearly half-hour performance helped him advance professionally and win the top prize at the 2026 national cải lương theater talent competition.

Dời đô closed the program, with Tú Sương, Võ Minh Lâm, Hoàng Quốc Thanh and Thanh Khang among the performers. The scene carried contemporary relevance during what the article describes as a period when the country is reorganizing its political and social landscape. Trịnh Thúy Mùi, chairwoman of the Vietnam Association of Theater Artists, said the program showed that Hạnh’s works remain fresh and full of information and contemporary relevance.