Diem Loc. Audiences familiar with cheo will recall the actress Diem Loc for her many roles but particularly for her characterization of Xuy Van. Phan Thi Diem Loc was born into a family of professional cheo artists. Her mother, Tieu Thi Thuc, was an actress who performed traditional dances and songs. Ms. Thuc spent her spare time practicing difficult tunes such as “Lan Tham” and “Cach Cu” in her poignant voice. At sixteen, Tieu Thi Thuc was forced into an arranged marriage, but she left her cheo group in Thai Binh Province and wandered to Hanoi, then later to Son Tay. There, she fell ill, but a rich man who admired her talent cared for her. She married him and had two sons and a daughter, Diem Loc.
As a very young child, Diem Loc followed her mother to festivals. In 1956, when she was eighteen, the Co Phong Group in Son Tay Province recruited her. Later Diem Loc moved to the Vietnam Cheo Theatre Company, where she played the principal characters in numerous cheo plays, both classical and modern: Thi Mau in Thi Kinh, the Goddess of Mercy (Quan Am Thi Kinh), Chau Long in Luu Binh and Duong Le, Miss Ba Dep (Beautiful Ba) in The Magic Water Par (Lo nuoc than). Duong Van Nga in Queen Mother Duong Van Nga (Thai Hau Duong Van Nga), Tam in Tam and Cam, Miss Truc in The Tra Khuc River (Song Tra Khuc), and the guerrilla in The Way Back to the Front (Duong ve tran dia).
Diem Loc especially succeeded in the role of Xuy Van feigning madness. This scene made her famous throughout Vietnam beginning with the early 1960s. Audiences were thrilled when listening to her singing: some people watched the play only for this scene. The character Xuy Van requires special skills and techniques. Xuy Van stridently opposes polygamy yet must carry a tray of areca nut and betel as offerings to ask for another girl’s hand for her husband. Then, she meets and falls in love with Tran Phuong, a playboy merchant. She pretends to be mad to escape from her parents-in-law and follows Tran Phuong, who soon abandons her. Ashamed, Xuy Van throws herself into a river. To succeed in the performance, the artist must have mastered cheo airs including “Loi Lo.” which requires a clear soprano voice for resonance.
Diem Loc had many opportunities to learn cheo skills from master-artists, especially from Vinh Phuc Province’s late master. Kieu Trong Doa, who was famous for his female roles. In harsh practice sessions, she mastered difficult cheo techniques, particularly control of her facial muscles to stare, glance, smile, and laugh as a madwoman. She once spent three whole days laughing to practice for the part thus enabling her to create an impressive Xuy Van. At the age of sixty-four, Diem Loc’s passion for cheo remains unchanged. As a lecturer on cheo at the University of Theatre and Cinematography, she is training future generations of cheo artists. Diem Loc ponders how best to train each new student especially those able to perform Xuy Van. Despite her busy schedule. Diem Loc tries to attend all sessions of the Club of Elderly Cheo Artists. She hopes young cheo artists will devote their lives to this art like the elderly masters, who still practice and perform.
