The Vietnamese musical version of the world famous novel “Notre-Dame de Paris” (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) by French novelist Victor Hugo will be put on as a weekly show in Ho Chi Minh City, starting this Friday.

The 90-minute musical is the result of 30 years of hard work by Vietnamese musician Vu Huy Tien, who hopes to bring musical theater to local audiences.

The musical made its debut in the city in January, attracting a large number of local art fans.

“If I composed the musical in the style of a classical opera, it would require artists to have a high level of vocal techniques and audiences to have the ability to enjoy the work. However, classical musicals have not been received well by Vietnamese, so in my work, I put several kinds of music including jazz, blues, and pop together in order to appeal to local tastes,” musician Vu Huy Tien said about his work.

“Through the story of Quasimodo and Esméralda, I want to send the message that love lasts forever no matter what time period it exists in.”

This comeback will see performances of outstanding artists Duy Tan, Cao Minh, and Lam Phuong and other singers who joined the musical in its debut.

Moreover, People’s Artist Tran Hieu will also play the role of a poet who is the musical’s narrator, the role which was skipped in the debut show since Hieu could not be on stage due to his health, even though he spent lots of time practicing the musical. The Vietnamese musical version of “Notre-Dame de Paris” will be showcased at 8:00 pm every Friday night, beginning from April 4 at Cao Minh Stage – 255/47bis No Trang Long Street, Binh Thanh District.