The Tale of Kieu Background

The original Tale of Kieu is a Vietnamese Epic Poem written by Nguyen Du (1766–1820) and is widely regarded as the most significant work within Vietnamese culture. The poem recounts the life, trials and tribulations of Thúy Kieu, a beautiful and talented young woman who sells herself to save her father from prison.

The Tale of Kieu has been acclaimed internationally and many historians feel that the poet, Nguyen Du, used The Tale of Kieu to illustrate his own life and times. Kieu had to endure suffering and hardships; Nguyen Du suffered greatly due to his loyalty for his former king.  Kieu stays faithful in her heart to her first love, Kim Trong; Nguyen Du kept his  loyalty to the Le Dynasty.  

 Concept

After reading the English translation of The Story of Kieu, author and artistic director Burton Harold Wolfe decided to transform the original epic poem into a bilingual Broadway style musical, utilizing song and dance to illustrate the story. His mission was to re-introduce the beauty of The Story of Kieu  to contemporary Vietnamese audiences and to acquaint all theatre goers with the story’s power and beauty. In many ways the message of Tale of Kieu is timeless; family traditions, work ethics and the struggle of women against those in power are all a part of this intriguing account of loyalty and everlasting love.   Poet Nguyen Du revised the plot of Chin Yün Ch’iao chuan, known in Vietnamese as Kim Van Kieu to show Vietnamese life at the end of the 18th Century.  The original story was first written in classical Chinese. It is expected that a great portion of the Chinese and Vietnamese communities will comprise the audience for this musical.  Currently, there are more than 200,000 Vietnamese-Americans and more than 200,000 Chinese-Americans residing in the greater Houston area.