À Ố Show vs Cirque du Soleil: what to know

The short answer

Both are contemporary circus: a story or theme carried by circus skills, staged like theatre rather than as a string of separate acts. The differences are the story and the setting. The À Ố Show tells one story about Vietnamese village and city life, with live music that Lune says echoes Southern Vietnamese work songs, in a French-colonial opera house, over about an hour. Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian company whose productions each have their own theme and play big tops and resident theatres around the world.

What contemporary circus means

Contemporary circus, often called new circus, replaces a ringmaster-led series of spectacle acts with theatrical, character-driven acts tied together by a central narrative or theme. Animal acts appear less often. Productions are often staged in theatres or tents, and the music is often composed for the production. Cirque du Soleil is generally cited as the best-known success of the movement. The À Ố Show belongs to the same family, which is why people reach for the comparison.

How Cirque du Soleil works

The company is based in Montreal and describes itself as a Canadian contemporary circus company. Its touring shows usually play a big top that moves from city to city, while its resident shows play permanent theatres, mainly in Las Vegas. Each production has a central theme and storyline, with continuous live music, and performers rather than stagehands change the props. Permanent shows typically run about 70 to 90 minutes. There is no single Cirque du Soleil format, so scale and style vary by production.

Read next: À Ố Show tickets, or a water puppet show?

How the À Ố Show differs

Lune Production's own description says the show sets countryside life against the nation's racing urbanisation. Its account of the 2019 Sydney run lists acrobatics such as juggling bamboo poles, swinging in the air and somersaulting with rattan-woven boats, and a rice-picking factory line set beside high-rise apartments and traffic. Lune lists a light touch of humour among the show's features. The company that stages it is based in Ho Chi Minh City, and the production has toured internationally since 2015.

• One story: village life set against fast urbanisation
• Live music echoing Southern Vietnamese work songs
• Bamboo and rattan as the staging material
• A French-colonial opera house as the venue

What you see and hear

Expect movement rather than dialogue. Lune says each story is told through the acrobats' movements and the creative use of bamboo as tools and props, without any need for spoken narrative. Live musicians play on stage. As Lune describes it, the countryside setting transforms partway through into an urban sprawl of high-rise apartments and bustling traffic. Lune does not publish an instrument list for the show, so this guide names none. The show lasts about an hour, and the starting time for your date is in the booking calendar and your confirmation.

Why bamboo

Lune calls bamboo the central inspiration behind Vietnamese bamboo circus. Woven bamboo is also behind everyday objects. The Vietnamese basket boat, the thúng chai, is made of interwoven bamboo and made waterproof with resin and coconut oil. The photo shows basket boats on a Da Nang beach. It is not a photo of the show. No photo from inside the auditorium is shown, because cameras are not allowed during the performance.

The setting: the Saigon Opera House

The theatre was built between 1898 and 1900 in the flamboyant style of the French Third Republic, and it was certified a national relic in 2012. Lune's venue page describes an oval auditorium designed to be echo-free and soundproof from the city outside. The address is 7 Lam Son Square in District 1, which is also the meeting point on the booking. Lune's page lists stone-carved ornaments and statues at the entrance, crystal chandeliers and a granite floor in the lobby among the building's features.

Getting there and back

The ticket includes hotel pick-up and drop-off, and your confirmation carries the details, so there is nothing to plan unless you prefer to travel on your own. The meeting point on the booking is the Saigon Opera House. Lune's venue page describes the building as standing on the city's central axis, linking the metro station and the roundabout in front of Ben Thanh market. Starting times differ by date, so use the one in your confirmation rather than a general time you read elsewhere.

Length, language, children and the rules

The show lasts about an hour, and the story does not depend on language. Children aged 5 and over can attend, with a child rate for ages 5 to 12. Children under 5 are not admitted, and the organiser may check ages, so keep a copy of the child's passport on your phone. Phones, cameras and video recording are not allowed, nor is bringing in food or drink. The show starts on time, and late arrivals may not be admitted. The booking details give no dress code or accessibility information, so ask if you need either.

Seats and the Theatre Pass

Seats are decided by the booking system on a first-come, first-served basis once your booking succeeds, and your seat number appears on your Theatre Pass. Respect the number you are allocated. To sit together, book everyone on the same order. The booking calendar shows the seat option offered for each date. Lune's own terms limit each online order to a maximum number of tickets and ask larger groups to email Lune, so a big group may need to plan ahead.

Who this isn't for

Skip this show if you expect a Cirque du Soleil production, because this is a different company telling a different story in a single historic theatre. Skip it if you have a child under 5, or if you want to film or photograph the performance. And if you want a play with spoken or sung narration, this is the wrong choice, because the story here is carried by movement and music.