HCM CITY  Bulle, a play directed by the French director Léo Barcet that represents the meeting between the contemporary French stage and traditional Vietnamese music, will be performed in HCM City in November.

Bulle or Bubble is a physical theatre piece from France that is revived in HCM City through the combination of French stage language and the traditional Vietnamese instrument đàn tranh (36-chord zither). It takes the audience on an emotional artistic journey exploring loneliness, connection, and the fragile beauty of human beings.

At the performance, Barcet will collaborate with zither artist Nguyễn Ngọc Hằng, who was trained as a dancer, choreographer, and zither musician. She has devoted more than 10 years to pursuing the arts, and sees this as an opportunity to explore the subtle intersections between stage movement and the sound of the zither.

The performance is designed as an emotional experience, where the audience is invited to “breathe with the artist” -- to listen not only to sound, light, and movement but also the silences.

On stage, there is only one man and the musician, a bucket of water and the sound of the zither.

From stillness, movement and sound gradually emerge — sometimes as light as a breath, sometimes fierce like a wave of emotion. The performer converses with himself, with the music, and with the audience, embarking on a journey to “break the invisible bubble".

“Between the sound of the zither and French contemporary stage, an artistic picture is woven -- where cultural bubbles collide, blend, and create a new, emotional frequency,” Hằng said.

For director-performer Barcet, the zither is a traditional instrument that he finds “both gentle and strong like the Vietnamese soul itself”. That combination not only adds a unique tone to the work, but also represents an effort to fuse two cultures -- where sound and emotion become a common language.

With a duration of approximately 45 minutes, Bulle is not merely a play but an emotional experience, inviting the audience to listen, connect, and reflect. Between the zither's resonance, light and fluid movements, the spectators are guided through shifting emotions -- from loneliness and fear to love and acceptance.

And when Bulle closes with the delicate echo of the instrument, it is not an ending but a pause for reflection, a moment for each person to reconnect -- with themselves and with the surrounding world.

Sharing about the performance, organisers said that performers use artistic metaphors -- sometimes in a forest, sometimes in a desert -- as the play raises questions about humanity, fears, and desires: "How do we find ourselves again and reconnect with others?" The play offers no direct answers. Instead, it invites the audience to experience a space where both performers and viewers attempt to pierce their “bubbles”.

Barcet -- also known by his stage name Charli Bar -- is a French actor, director and playwright. He founded Les Lions sous la Lune, where stage art meets philosophy, comedy, and immersive performance.

He wrote Bulle throughout his journey of learning, growth, and reflection on his craft. For him, Bulle is an inward journey -- a search for light, connection, and love within oneself.

The performance, presented in French and English, will be held at Dancenter Vietnam – 53 Nguyễn Đăng Giai, Thảo Điền, Thủ Đức City, HCM City. VNS