Event details

This musical show is conceived as a contemporary radio broadcast, blending interviews, archival material, and previously unseen love letters from the well-know French singer Barbara (1930-1997). Set in a studio space with all-white floor and walls, there is no physical presence of the incomparable singer—yet hers is the only voice you will hear. Every word spoken is authentic and reflects the singer's freedom of expression, her cheerfulness, and her love for her craft as a "woman who sings."

Starring celebrated stage French actress Marie-Sophie Ferdane who makes her Seuls en Scène debut.

"With this show, Emmanuel Noblet, Marie-Sophie Ferdane, and Olivier Marguerit do more than just portray the singer; they articulate the demands, the vulnerabilities, and the sublime beauty of their craft. Rarely do we encounter such natural artistry or a show so deeply moving."

—La Terrasse

Photo Gallery

• Photo credit: E.N.

• Photo credit: Pascal Gely

• Photo credit: Pascal Gely

• Photo credit: Pascal Gely

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Tickets

Free and open to the public; advance tickets required. Tickets available in late August through University Ticketing.

Performance Details

Show performed in French. Duration: 1 hour, 15 min. Content appropriate for ages 12+

See all shows in 2026 French Theater Festival

Directions

Get directions to the Wallace Theater, located on the Forum level of the Lewis Arts complex, and find other venue information for the arts complex.

Accessibility

The Wallace Theater is an accessible venue with an assistive listening system. Visit our Venues and Studios section for accessibility information about our various locations. Guests in need of access accommodations are invited to contact the Lewis Center at 609-258-5262 or email LewisCenter@princeton.edu at least one week in advance of the event date.

About the Artists

Emmnanuel Noblet

An actor since 2000, he has performed works by Shakespeare, Molière, Marivaux, Jean-Luc Lagarce, Wajdi Mouawad, Martin Crimp, and Sara Stridsberg, among others, under the direction of numerous stage directors such as Catherine Hiegel, Simon Delétang, and Christophe Rauck. He has performed at both the Avignon "Off" and "In" festivals, in public theaters (Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers, CDN tours) and commercial venues (Théâtre de la Porte St-Martin, Théâtre de l’Atelier).
Alongside his stage work, he acts in television and film productions. Notable credits include the series SCALP (Canal+) and L’Art du crime (France 2), as well as the films La Conquête by Xavier Durringer and Chic by Jérôme Cornuau (starring Fanny Ardant).

He has also worked as a stage manager and lighting designer. He has performed his own adaptation and staging of Maylis de Kerangal’s Réparer les vivants (co-directed with Benjamin Guillard) over 300 times in France and abroad; the production won the Beaumarchais Prize for Best Public Theater Show and earned him the Molière Award for Best One-Man Show in 2017.

When not acting, he continues adapting contemporary novels for the stage and directing them. Projects include Boussole by Mathias Enard (2015 Goncourt Prize winner), adapted at the author's request; Le Discours by Fabrice Caro; VNR by Laurent Chalumeau; and Une sur deux by Giulia Foïs—a piece featuring 22 actresses, produced for France Télévisions to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Prior to Barbara (par Barbara), he directed several musical productions, including Dabadie, les choses de nos vies—in which he also acted and sang alongside vocalists Clarika and Maissiat—and Lola Lafon’s show Un état de nos vies. He is working with her on the creation of his first play, scheduled for autumn 2026 at the Théâtre du Rond-Point. In 2024, he adapted and directed Tanguy Viel’s Article 353 du Code Pénal, in which he performs alongside Vincent Garanger (a recipient of the Critics' Union award); the production is currently touring. In 2025, he adapted and directed Denis Michelis’s Encore une journée divine—a monologue for François Cluzet—which is also touring.

Marie-Sophie Ferdane

After training at ENSATT under Nada Strancar, she worked with Christian Schiaretti on Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera at La Colline. She played Bérénice under the direction of Jean-Louis Martinelli at Les Amandiers, then joined the Comédie-Française to play Célimène in The Misanthrope, directed by Lukas Hemleb. She left the company in 2013 and went on to play Lady Macbeth with Laurent Pelly, appear in The Seagull with Arthur Nauzyciel in the Cour d’Honneur of the Palais des Papes in Avignon, and play Masha in Three Sisters, directed by Christian Benedetti. She collaborated with Marc Lainé on Vanishing Point (featuring the band Moriarty), on Hunter (with electronic musician Superpoze at Chaillot), and on En travers de sa gorge with Bertrand Belin in 2022–2023. She portrayed Patti Smith in a performance piece by Benoit Bradel—featuring guitarists Seb Martel and Thomas Fernier and a text by Claudine Galéa. In 2016, she premiered Argument by Pascal Rambert, a play written specifically for her and Laurent Poitrenaux. In 2018, she starred as the Lady of the Camellias in Arthur Nauzyciel’s production.

In 2019, she took part in Pascal Rambert’s Architecture in the Cour d’Honneur of the Palais des Papes, alongside Jacques Weber, Emmanuelle Béart, Denis Podalydès, and Stanislas Nordey. In 2021, she premiered Pascal Rambert’s Mes Frères, directed by Arthur Nauzyciel. In 2022, she played Queen Christina for Christophe Rauck at the Théâtre des Amandiers in Sara Stridsberg’s Dissection of a Snowfall (Dissection d’une chute de neige). In 2023, she performed in Jean Genet’s Les Paravents (The Screens), directed by Arthur Nauzyciel; in 2024, in Rebecca Kricheldorf’s Dolorosa, directed by Marcial Di Fonzo Bo; and in 2025, in Simon Abkarian’s Nos âmes se reconnaîtront. She has worked under the direction of Philippe Harel in Les Heures souterraines for Arte (winning the Acting Award at the Luchon Festival) and Eléonore Pourriat in Je ne suis pas un homme facile for Netflix. In 2019, she played the conductor in the series Philharmonia for France Télévisions. Subsequently, she joined the cast of the Anglo-American series Killing Eve, alongside Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh.

Olivier Marguerit

Musician and composer Olivier Marguerit began his career as a versatile multi-instrumentalist in several indie-pop bands during the 2000s. He served as a guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist for Syd Matters for about a decade, while also playing guitar and bass for Les Chicros and Fugu, and acting as a one-man band for Mina Tindle.

In 2011, he set up a studio in Pigalle and began releasing his own compositions, developing a sensitive, melodic style amidst his keyboards and guitars. He released two albums under his own name—Un torrent, la boue (2016) and À terre (2019)—on the Vietnam and Because labels. Tours accompanied both albums, allowing Olivier to establish his identity and learn to command the center stage.

At the same time, Olivier launched a career in film, composing scores for Arthur Harari’s Diamant noir and Onoda, as well as Nicolas Maury’s Garçon chiffon. His film work gained significant momentum in 2022 with Dominik Moll’s La nuit du 12 (The Night of the 12th), a film that achieved both critical and commercial success and earned Olivier a César nomination for Best Original Score. He expanded his collaborations, working with directors such as Guillaume Senez, Stéphane Demoustier, and Alice Vial. In 2023, Olivier ventured into theater by composing an album for actor Nicolas Maury and working on productions with Micha Lescot and Marie-Sophie Ferdane. Today, Olivier manages all these projects simultaneously. Last year, alongside the show Barbara (par Barbara), he composed the scores for Stéphane Demoustier’s L’inconnu de la Grande Arche and Dominik Moll’s Dossier 137, while also hinting at a return to the studio with Syd Matters.

Production Credits

Conception: Marie-Sophie Ferdane and Emmanuel Noblet
Based on a montage by Arnaud Cathrine et Clémentine Deroudille
Directed by: Emmanuel Noblet
Performed by: Marie-Sophie Ferdane and Olivier Marguerit
Music by: Olivier Marguerit
Lighting design: Olivier Oudiou
Light management: Emmanuelle Phelippeau-Viallard

Production

Executive production En Votre Compagnie
Coproduction: Le Quai CDN Angers, Théâtre du Rond-Point, Théâtre National de Bretagne - Centre Dramatique National (Rennes), Compagnie Les Choses de la vie
With the support of INA, Spedidam
The show was created in june 2018 at Maison de la Poésie - scène littéraire à Paris
Sous la forme d’une lecture aujourd’hui adaptée en spectacle
Thanks to Bernard Serf
And for their voices: Constance Dollé, Catherine Hiegel, Anouck Clion, Oscar Von Claer
Transcripts of interviews of the artist Barbara from programs by National de l’Audiovisuel (INA)

Special Thanks

Emmanuel Noblet, Laurence de Magalhaes, Olivier Marguerit, Marie-Sophie Ferdane and Emmanuelle Phelippeau-Viallard.