The annual friendly Gallic invasion is about to hit Hong Kong's shores this month with the ninth annual Le French May Festival of Arts. There's a Cubist art show, eloquent music, cinema, art and architecture exhibits, theatre, dancing and of course fabulous food. From 25 April to 17 June, local culture vultures and those with a passion for things French will have no end of cultural delights to sample.

Ravel's Bolero has delighted audiences for generations and now the National Opera Ballet of Lyons will bring the dance version of this classic to the Hong Kong stage. As for the young dancers of the Paris Conservatoire Dance Company, one can't help being seduced by their youth, vitality and their irresistible passion for dancing.

At $10 a ticket, you just can't miss, The Golden Section - The French Cubism, a retrospective of the art show that stood the art world on its ear in the early 1900s in Paris. Truly great names in art are here including Picasso, Braque, Duchamp, Leger to name just a few.

Le French May offers a range of music styles including Techno-music, Jazz, Baroque, Renaissance and a symphony concert reuniting those Hong Kong favourites, Monique Duphil and Jacqueline Lam Tung (pianos), accompanied by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta in an all-French programme. There will be a unique presentation by the The Trumpets of Versailles, a splendid trio playing Baroque and Royal music in St John's Cathedral!

For film buffs, there is Body and Desire in French Cinema, a program of film daringly built around the works of French film directors who have made eroticism and desire the central theme of their films. Films include Sade, The Captive and Romance.

From La Reunion, a French overseas district in the Indian Ocean, comes The Water Carriers performed by the Talipot Theatre Company. It tells an eternal story, universal and simple through the gestures, words,

Adding to the sheen of its reputation as 'The Events Capital of Asia' will be the arrival of the Broadway musical Miss Saigon slated to premiere 18 May at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. It is one of the greatest stage successes ever, having played in 12 countries to 28 million people and grossed in excess of US$1.3 billion. Its list of awards include, three Tonys and the London Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Musical Worldwide. Set during the final days of the Vietnam War and the fall of Saigon, critics have been unstinting in their praise of the show. Said the New York Times: "Gripping entertainment. Lush melodies and a good cry."

This is a passionate, epic love story between an American GI and a young Vietnamese woman during the final days before the evacuation of Saigon in 1975.

The production features an all-star cast including Scott Anson as Chris, the American GI stationed at the US embassy. Mr. Anson played Chris in the West End production from 1997-98. Deedee Lynn Magno will reprise the role of Kim, the Vietnamese girl which she played on Broadway. The role of "the Engineer" will be played by Leo Valdez. Mr. Valdez starred in the Australian and West End productions. As well, the original stage set which was used in the Broadway show will be used in the Hong Kong show.

The story revolves around Kim, a 17-year-old Vietnamese woman who falls in love with Chris, a marine guard at the US embassy. When Saigon falls, Chris and Kim become separated in all the confusion and Chris is forced to evacuate on the last helicopter, not realizing that Kim is pregnant with their child. Returning home, Chris eventually marries, but a few years later, he and his wife Ellen return to find Kim, who is now determined to make Chris take their son back to the United States.

Written by the team of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, the creators of Les Miserables, their latest effort is one of the great musical success stories of the 20th Century. The musical, which features a helicopter weighing 8,700 pounds, is based loosely on Belasco/Puccini's, Madam Butterfly.