Children's play «Trăng Ơi, Trăng À»

   The light of the full moon has been stolen by the Night Shadow demons, and the animals of the forest must go and win it back alongside chú Cuội, chị Hằng and the jade rabbit. Their weapon is not magic but cunning: they splice firefly light with starlight to fool the thieves. If you want a Mid-Autumn evening where children get to shout and cheer, this is it.

   The production is written and directed by Nam Cường together with Sân khấu Ban Mai and brings more than 20 performers on stage. Chú Cuội is played in alternation by the actor Quách Ngọc Tuyên and by Trung Tuấn, chị Hằng by the beauty queen Ngọc Châu and by Như Thủy, the jade rabbit by Hạnh Thảo and Thanh Hoa. The supporting roles are double-cast as well, so two consecutive evenings are not quite the same show.

   What children get across the hour and a half in their seats:

• — A quest for the stolen moonlight, built in layers of obstacles
• — Musical numbers slotted between the scenes
• — Direct interaction from the stage: quiz questions answered from the audience, with gifts handed out by chú Cuội, chị Hằng and the jade rabbit
• — Three performances in September, falling on weekend evenings and on the night of the full moon

   The theatre puts the play at ages 3 to 16. It is performed in Vietnamese, but most of the story is carried by images, music and stage action, so a child without the language can still follow the plot. One house rule worth knowing: no food or drinks are allowed inside except bottled water.

   Sân khấu Ban Mai sits inside the city's children's house and works only for young audiences, so the seat spacing and the way the show is led both assume that children will stand up, ask questions and answer loudly. Worth knowing before you book, and it is exactly what gives the evening its atmosphere.