The one-man show The Doublebass will be performed in English shortly before leaving on tour to a festival in England. The Doublebass performance by Patrick Suskind, based on his novel The Perfume, and directed by Bulgarian Plamen Markov tells the story of a love affair between a man, a doublebass and a soprano. "It is like a trilogy of feelings crossed on stage. This is one of the greatest stories ever written and dedicated to a musician who is an orchestra player," Markov told The Echo.

The play is often thought of as being written by a musician because it tackles skillfully the psychology of the musician, Markov said adding about the German immigrant's unfulfilled love for Sarah. He has a rebellious spirit but realises that he is not good enough for her.

The character is caught in the claustrophobic world of his soundproof, hermetically sealed apartment. He is on his own with his dissatisfaction, desires and dreams. The only companion that he has is the heavy, solid, raw insurmountable character of the double bass. The drama of the man with no name and face in society finds its perfect space on stage in The Doublebass.

Suskind is interested in the pathological in the human being in The Perfume novel. The object of interest is the genius perfumist-discoverer whose passion has been transformed. The character of The Doublebass undergoes the same changes - he is pathologically isolated from the world around him but compensates with a pathological commitment to his double bass. The character talks of the one thing which is inconceivable and that is an orchestra without a doublebass. It is possible to have an orchestra without first violin, wind section, or brass, but it is impossible to have an orchestra with no doublebass, the character contemplates. "Metaphorically speaking the doublebass is the cornerstone on which the whole magnificent edifice is erected," the character Valentin Ganev says on stage.

The Doublebass by Markov is reminiscent of a musical performance, where music is another acting star. The music is a reflection and a partner of the character. The director has carefully used the topics in the whole plot of the subconscious and for his intellectual rationalisation mainly through the actor.

The actor reaches a balance between simplicity and contagious spontaneity, being simultaneously perceptive and intellectual. He grades the comic and the dramatic to get to the idea that art is a way of life, thinking, or a psychic condition.

Listening to music and its making are forms of isolation of an escape from the here and now. The performance does not feature a meeting with a crazy man but it is rather a penetration into the permanent neurosis of the person who is making art. Ganev portrays a character that is a good listener. He shows passion for music, which is for him both a sophisticated spiritual engagement and a primary instinct.

The Doublebass will be performed at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre on May 31 and June 1. From June 10 to 22 The Doublebass will be staged in London as part of the Bulgarian Arts Festival at the Riverside Studios.