Moi Roi Nuoc (Vietnamese Water Puppetry)

Mua Rồi Nước literally translates to “water puppet dance”. The origins of traditional water puppetry are contested1; the earliest reference to Water Puppetry in Vietnam was found at two inscriptions at the Long Doi Son Pagoda2 that describe the popular tale of The Legend of the Restored Sword3. Traditional performances contained twenty-thirty scenes from a possible repertoire of one hundred and thirty four. Performances today are shorter4 (Foley, 2001, p. 136). As the name implies, the theatre performance is executed through puppets on a water body. The appearance and movements of the puppets are crux of the execution of a character though puppets, hence it is vital to investigate the appearance of puppet characters when studying this theatre tradition. Secrets of the meticulous puppetry and designing techniques of Mua Rồi Nước were fiercely guarded by a small set of villagers who knew these skills. It was only in 1983 that villagers began teaching other troupes about these secrets upon persuasion from the Government. (Phillips, 1999) This essay will address the question “What are the construction and characterization techniques through which the puppet character of Chủ Tếu is portrayed for the Mua Rồi Nước performance in the scene Avoid Stealing Antique Objects”. This research will first explore the general aspects of Mua Rồi Nước and then steer focus to the appearance and execution of Chủ Tếu in the said scene.
All Mua Rồi Nước performances share a significant number of characteristics. Initially, water bodies were traditional ponds or rice paddy fields in villages where a staging area has been constructed. 20th Century Mua Rồi Nước has specialized buildings with constructed pool stages, even a portable tank for travelling performances. (Foley, 2001, p. 130) Around eight-ten trained puppeteers stand behind a bamboo scrim controlling the brightly painted puppets. The slits in the scrim enable the puppeteers to make sure the puppet choreography is executed