Bamboo circus «A O Show»

   No dialogue, no subtitles, nothing to translate — the story is carried by the acrobats' bodies, by bamboo poles and by a band playing live on stage.

   «A O Show» traces the shift from Vietnamese village life to the noise of the city. Bamboo poles, woven baskets and round coracle boats work as props and as scenery at once: they are assembled into a house, a market, a street, then taken apart again. The cast combines acrobats and contortionists with musicians playing traditional Vietnamese instruments.

   The form is known as Vietnamese bamboo circus — acrobatics, contemporary dance and folk instrumentation in a single piece. It was built for an international audience from the start, so there is no language barrier, which makes it an easy choice when visiting family or non-Vietnamese-speaking friends are in town.

   Lune Production has kept the show running at the Saigon Opera House since 2013, an unusually long run for a Vietnamese stage production. The house seats 468 and is divided into three ticket zones — aah!, ooh! and wow! — with a welcome drink included in the upper two.

   One practical point worth planning around: this is not a nightly show. Performances run in blocks with gaps between them, and the pattern changes from month to month, so check the current calendar before booking. Tickets via Lune Production.