The much hyped “Xin Chao” (Hello), a show featuring a mix of music and dance
and depicting Vietnamese legends, has failed to amuse even Ho Chi Minh City’s
undemanding audiences, thanks to its sloppiness.

The show, which opened last Saturday, features three parts,
namely the tales of Lac Long Quan and his wife Au Co, who are believed to be
the ancestors of all Vietnamese, and the Trung Sisters, and contemporary life
in Vietnam.

But its dazzling costumes, beautiful music, and professional
artists performing in a beautiful setting were not enough to touch people’s
hearts.

“This is the first time I’m coming to Vietnam,” Joe Michael of Ireland said.
“I thought I would watch this show for a little knowledge on Vietnamese
history. However, I think I should read a history book and come back to watch
so that it will make more sense to me.”

Even though everyone received a brochure explaining the
show, it was hard for the audience to keep pace. In the tale of Lac Long Quan
and Au Co, Au Co looks like a flower rather than the mother of the first 100
Vietnamese.

In the tale about the Trung Sisters who fought off Han
Dynasty invaders, the Chinese troops look like aliens rather than fierce
enemies.

Many tourists did not understand why Lac Long Quan and Au Co
bid farewell or the myth that the first Vietnamese came from eggs since they
only saw the two carrying something – that did not look like eggs — and going
different ways.

“I am Vietnamese but even I do not understand the
performance; how can a foreign tourist get it?” a Vietnamese spectator
wondered.

Many also wondered why the tragic story of the Trung Sisters
who committed suicide was chosen instead of some brave feats by Vietnamese.

Laura Burke, the American producer and director who wrote
the script for the show, explained in an exclusive interview to Tuoi Tre that
she liked the Trung Sisters’ story and images of Vietnamese women always leave
a deep impression, especially on foreign tourists.

But she said she will rewrite part of the brochure soon.

“Xin Chao” is in the same genre as Cirque du Soleil, a
dramatic mix of circus arts and performances that originated in Canada and has since spread all the way to Japan and Macau.

The show is held every evening at 6:00 pm this week at the
Ho Chi Minh City Circus Theater at the September 23 Park, District 1.

Source: Tuoi Tre