Rumors of lip-syncing and controversies surrounding Cai Luong performances
In recent days, social networks have continuously spread videos excerpted from the program "Southern Love 4", taking place at Hong Lien Theater (HCMC). The performance night featured the appearance of Hong Loan and Thuy Dung (Bum Bum), characters who were mentioned a lot after family disputes related to the late artist Vu Linh.
After the performances were shared online, some performances faced mixed reactions. In particular, the excerpt "Me Linh biet khuc" excerpted from the play "Tieng trong Me Linh" - a classic work of Cai Luong stage associated with the late artist Thanh Nga, became the focus of controversy.
According to the reporter's investigation, the reason for this controversy is that many viewers believe that Bum Bum's performance did not meet the requirements for singing and acting techniques.
In the performance "Lanh Cung" performed by Hong Loan, Bum Bum, Hong Ni, there were many suspicions that all three were lip-syncing, pre-recording when the mic was one way, the voice was another.
Meanwhile, the program is still sold tickets at quite high prices: 500,000 - 600,000 VND/ticket directly, and about 300,000 VND for online tickets.
In a private exchange with reporters, a singer with more than 30 years of artistic activity said: "For many audiences, this price means that they expect a performance night that is seriously invested in expertise. When unprepared performances reappear on stage, negative reactions from the public are inevitable.
Faced with these noisy issues, Bum Bum also spoke out to admit his mistakes and hoped to learn from experience. Meanwhile, the program director Ho Khac Tung (actress Thi Sach with Bum Bum) - representative of the crew - also said, "if there is anything wrong, I will ask to fix it" after being reflected by public opinion.
When noise becomes a "communication tool"?
Media expert Hoang Van - CEO of Clover media company - said that the attention paid to the program partly comes from the noise related to the family of late artist Vu Linh in the past time. After his death, the story of disputes between relatives and adopted daughter has many times become a hot topic on social networks.
Mr. Van commented: "In the current media environment, any character associated with a story that attracts attention online can attract a large amount of attention. However, that attention does not mean artistic value but is useful when they bring that story to attract audiences.
According to Mr. Van, when public curiosity becomes a factor attracting audiences to a performance program, organizers are easily drawn into the trend of exploiting attention instead of investing in artistic quality.
“Drama can help the program be mentioned more, but if the performance content does not meet the audience's expectations, the opposite reaction will happen very quickly,” he said.
In the case of "Southern Love 4", media expert Hoang Van said that the element of attracting attention from social networks has unintentionally become part of the promotion strategy. However, when audiences buy tickets to enjoy art, they not only pay for curiosity, but also for the quality of performance.
This story also raises concerns about the leniency in performing activities, especially with traditional art forms such as Cai Luong.
Talking to reporters, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports identified 1 of the program's performances as the excerpt "Tieng trong Me Linh" performed by Bum Bum without permission. The Department said that this performance shows signs of violation and will invite the crew to work afterwards.
After all, the controversy surrounding "Southern Love 4" may not only stop at one night of performance but also worry about being lenient with ticket-selling performance activities. For many professionals, the answer seems to be only one that art can only exist when it is based on respect for the audience and respect for its own profession.
