Musical brings life of Hanoi’s first Party Secretary to stage

The life and revolutionary career of Nguyen Ngoc Vu (1908-1932) - the first official Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee will be recreated in the language of musicals.

The musical Fire from the Earth will be premiered on May 15-16 in Hanoi as a special work to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the founding of the first Hanoi Party Committee (March 17, 1930-2025).

The musical general director of the Youth Theater, Cao Ngoc Anh, said she has long cherished the idea of creating artwork about Hanoi because she was born and raised in the capital. The dream became a reality when she had access to a collection of documents about revolutionary soldier Nguyen Ngoc Vu, a relative of hers.

The musical reflects the life of the first official Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee. Photo courtesy of the theatre

Anh connected with screenwriter Le Quy Hien, asking him to adapt the script for the musical Fire from the Earth.

The work explores the stories of real characters in the 1930s when the Communist Party of Vietnam had just been born. Young Nguyen Ngoc Vu, his family and friends, and many classes of Hanoians participated in the revolution with ardent patriotism and deep revolutionary awareness. They strongly believed in leader Nguyen Ai Quoc (President Ho Chi Minh).

Vu understood that the humiliation of losing the country could only be resolved through the revolutionary struggle to regain independence and freedom, even if it meant trading his youth in prison, or even sacrificing his life for the revolutionary cause of national liberation, he refused to be a slave.

According to screenwriter Le Quy Hien, Fire from the Earth is the fire of patriotism, of faith in a bright future, the fire of the struggle for national liberation, the fire of the pioneer heroes who dared to sacrifice themselves and inspired the people to move towards the General Uprising in the Autumn of 1945.

By inspiring like-minded people to continue the journey full of challenges and hardships but also full of glorious pride, Fire from the Earth is the sacred fire in the hearts of the people. Fire symbolizes the revolution, and Earth is the people, symbolizing the Party lighting the fire in the darkness of slavery. This fire was born and burned strongly by the people because the Party itself was born from the aspiration for independence and freedom of the nation.

Sharing about the play, Hoang Quoc Viet from the Hanoi Party Committee's Propaganda Department affirmed that the musical is a meaningful work of art, recreating the development process of the Hanoi Party Committee since its establishment and showing the deep love for Hanoi of the production team.

Hoang Quoc Viet from the Hanoi Party Committee's Propaganda Department speaks at the press conference introducing the musical. Photo courtesy of the theatre

“The musical will be a meaningful spiritual gift in educating revolutionary traditions and patriotism of our people. After the performance, the work will be performed at several large halls of the Party Committees of districts and towns in Hanoi, to serve and spread the beautiful image of the hero and revolutionary soldier Nguyen Ngoc Vu to a large number of cadres, party members, and people,” he said.

The creative team includes renowned talents such as director Dao Duy Anh, composer Minh Dao, and National Artist Doan Bang. The lead roles are played by famous artists, including Le Viet Anh as Nguyen Ngoc Vu, Meritorious Artist Thanh Tam as his mother, and Bui Trang as his love interest.

Below are some scenes from the musical "Fire from the Earth" presented at the press conference: