SHOWS
- La Révolution Française
- Les Misérables
- Miss Saigon
- Martin Guerre
- Wuthering Heights – The Ballet
- One Day More (Concert)
- The Pirate Queen
- Marguerite
To find out more click on each show title or logo.
Two Frenchmen, an idea and a blank piece of paper. That’s how it started. Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg have written some of the world’s favourite musicals with Les Misérables and Miss Saigon especially, achieving phenomenal worldwide success and winning many awards.
Their very first musical was La Révolution Française, which played in 1973 and only in France. Les Misérables, in its original French version, premièred at the Palais Des Sports in Paris in 1980, before being reworked in English and brought to London by Cameron Mackintosh in 1985. Miss Saigon followed just four years later, and opened at London’s Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Their next musical, Martin Guerre, had a somewhat chequered history and was rewritten several times, having its latest reworking at Newbury’s Watermill Theatre in summer 2007. The Pirate Queen is an exciting new musical which opened on Broadway on 5 April 2007, but, after receiving very mixed reviews, it sadly closed after only 85 performances. However, it’s sure to emerge again elsewhere one day to a kinder reception. Their next musical Marguerite, has been written in collaboration with the renowned French composer Michel Legrand and Herbert Kretzmer. It is a much smaller scale musical than their previous ones, beginning with a six month run as part of the new Theatre Royal Haymarket Launch Season.
Boublil and Schönberg’s musicals have pushed back the boundaries of what was considered possible or even desirable in a musical, changing forever the public perception of what a musical is. They have taken the genre and reinvented it. They’ve captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world, and Les Misérables alone has been seen by over 54 million people. Boublil and Schönberg are musical dramatists with a mastery of the through-sung form that allows them to tackle serious subjects with an epic dimension. Their shows deal with individual stories set in a historical context at a moment of crisis, and handle themes that are at once universal and personal to every audience. They create multidimensional characters that the audience really cares about and invest them with recognizable truths with which the audience can identify. Their musicals are hugely entertaining but they also demand a high level of emotional engagement from the audience. They make us laugh and they make as cry and that’s part of the reason why we love them so much.
La Révolution Française
Alain and Claude-Michel started working straightaway on a concept album, doing the basic structure in one afternoon. There were 24 sequences telling the most important events of the French Revolution and adding an intimate story about the love of a young man for an aristocratic young lady. Raymond Jeannot worked with Claude-Michel on the music and Jean-Max Rivière worked with Alain on the lyrics. The concept album was a great success and sales rocketed after a six-minute dramatic extract was presented on Saturday night television. It quickly went ‘Gold’ and one of the songs ‘Chouans en avant!’ became a number one hit. It told the story of people in the West of France resisting the French Revolution - a rather strange subject for a hit song!
It was decided to turn it into a stage show and it was then necessary to write the linking songs. So it was a very different dramatization process from their later musicals. It opened at the Palais Des Sports in Paris on 2 October 1973 and it was an enormous success, with people queuing round the block for tickets. Claude-Michel took on the role of Louis XVI - but it was the first and last time he has appeared in one of his shows. He enjoyed the rehearsals and the first three nights but after that he got bored!
At the launch of The Musical World of Boublil and Schönberg at Waterstone’s, Piccadilly on 26 June 2007, Marie Zamora (Alain’s wife) sung one of the most beautiful songs from the show, “Au Petit Matin”. It’s Marie Antoinette’s song and tells heartrendingly of her sadness at leaving her children as she goes to the guillotine. This live rendition held us all spellbound.
Recording
La Révolution Française is available on CD from First Night Records
To TopLes Misérables
It was some two years later that a young Hungarian director, Peter Farago, took a recording of the show to Cameron Mackintosh, who, without understanding the lyrics, recognized that it was something very special. Cameron very quickly decided he wanted to produce the show and he put together a brilliant creative team with Trevor Nunn and John Caird as directors and James Fenton as lyricist. There was a huge amount of reworking to be done to make the show what it is today and a much fuller story than the original French version, which began at the factory gates and ended on the barricade. James Fenton was considered a brilliant poet but he worked slowly and it was found that his lyrics were more like poems and just would not sing well. After 18 months he was replaced by Herbert Kretzmer who had to work at breakneck speed in order to complete the lyrics with only five months to go before the show opened.
The show transferred to the beautiful Palace Theatre, where it continued running, until it transferred to the Queens Theatre in April 2004. On 8 October 2006 Les Misérables celebrated its 21st Anniversary and became the longest running musical in the world.
Les Misérables first opened in America at the Kennedy Opera House in Washington, D.C. before transferring to the Broadway Theatre, New York on 12 March 1987. The critical response here was very different and the show received rave reviews, even impressing Frank Rich, the much-feared drama critic of the all-powerful New York Times. The production quickly recouped its investment and ran for 16 years until May 2003. But as part of the Les Misérables “Coming of Age” celebrations it re-opened at the Broadhurst Theatre in October 2006.
Les Misérables has been opened by 64 professional companies worldwide. It has been translated into 21 different languages with productions in 38 countries as different as Japan to Iceland or Norway to Mexico. It has received countless awards including 8 Tonys and there is a multitude of different cast recordings in many languages. The show has a uniquely universal appeal and audiences respond in the same way at the same moment to the same part of the show wherever they are in the world. Hugo himself said of his novel: “I do not know whether it will be read by everyone, but it is meant for everyone.” He certainly achieved the universal audience he hoped for with his novel, and the musical on which it is based has achieved exactly the same kind of universal acclaim and popularity.
The Story
ACT ONE
Prologue: 1815 Digne
Javert releases Jean Valjean from prison after 19 years. However, he is on parole with a yellow ticket of leave, which he always has to show and which makes him an outcast. Only the Bishop of Digne treats him kindly, but Valjean, embittered by years of hardship, betrays his trust and steals his silver. When the police catch Valjean and bring him back, the Bishop lies to save him but makes him promise to become an honest man.
1823 Montreuil-sur-Mer
Valjean has broken his parole and now, eight years later, he has become the mayor and a factory owner. Fantine, who works at his factory, has an illegitimate child, Cosette, and when this is discovered she is dismissed. She believes that her daughter, who is lodged with the Thénardiers, is dying and she is desperate to get money for her medicines. She first sells her locket, then her hair and finally joins the whores in selling herself. Fantine, who is sick herself and utterly degraded, fights with an unpleasant prospective customer. She is arrested by Javert but Valjean intervenes and demands that she be taken to the hospital instead. When Valjean rescues a man pinned under a runaway cart, Javert is reminded of the strength of convict 24601, who broke his parole and for whom he has been searching for years. But he claims that this man has just been recaptured. Valjean faces a moral dilemma, realising that this would finally set him free from the repercussions of his broken parole, but he cannot bear to see an innocent man go to prison in his place and confesses that he is prisoner 24601. Valjean flees to the hospital and promises the dying Fantine to find and care for her daughter Cosette. Javert arrives to arrest him, but Valjean’s superior strength ensures his escape.
1823 Montfermeil
Valjean finds Cosette at the Thénardiers, who have treated her cruelly, while spoiling their own daughter, Eponine. They drive a hard bargain with Valjean, who pays them substantially so he can take her away.
1832 Paris
Nine years later, Valjean and the grown up Cosette are helping the poor when they are set upon by Thénardier and his gang. The attack is interrupted by Javert who does not recognise Valjean until Thénardier enlightens him, by which time Valjean has escaped. During the scuffle of the attack, the student Marius and Cosette have literally bumped into each other and fallen in love at first sight. There is much unrest in the city and the politically minded students of the ABC café plan an insurrection. After the death of General Lamarque, the only man left in the Government who shows any feeling for the poor, the students see this as a sign to raise support for an uprising. Thénardier’s daughter Eponine proves how much she loves Marius by unselfishly helping him to find Cosette. Marius and Cosette declare their love, and Eponine, waiting outside the gate, prevents an attempt by her father’s gang to rob Valjean’s house. Valjean, convinced that it was Javert spying outside his house decides they must leave the country.
ACT TWO
The students prepare to build a barricade, and Marius asks Eponine to take a letter to Cosette. This is intercepted by Valjean, who learns of his daughter’s true feelings. The barricade is built, and the students defy an army warning to give up or die. The little street urchin Gavroche sees through Javert’s disguise and exposes him as a spy. Eponine returns to the barricade to be with Marius, but is shot and dies in his arms. Valjean joins the students at the barricade in order to find Marius and although he has the opportunity to kill Javert he lets him go. The students rest and Valjean prays that Marius will be saved. Gavroche is shot while trying to gather ammunition behind the barricade, and then everyone else except Valjean and Marius are killed in the fighting.
Valjean escapes into the sewers with the unconscious Marius, avoiding Javert who is still in pursuit. Thénardier is robbing corpses in the sewer, including Marius, who he thinks is dead. As Valjean and Marius emerge from the sewer, Javert is waiting for them. But after Valjean pleads for time to take Marius to the hospital, Javert lets him go. Shattered by the overturning of his black and white beliefs, Javert takes his own life. Marius finds it hard to accept that he is still alive when all his friends have died. Unaware of the identity of his rescuer, he recovers in Cosette’s care. Valjean confesses the truth of his past to Marius and insists that he must go away, believing that his past might threaten Cosette’s security.
At Marius and Cosette’s wedding, the Thénardiers try to blackmail Marius. Thénardier claims that Cosette’s father is a murderer and as proof he produces the ring which he stole from the “corpse” on the night the barricade fell. Marius recognises the ring as his own and suddenly realises that it was Valjean who rescued him from the barricade that night. Valjean, sadly alone and dying, is joyfully reunited with Cosette before he dies. Cosette then reads the letter he has given her and learns the truth about her past as the spirit of Valjean joins the spirits of Fantine, Eponine and all the students who have died.
Recordings
The original concept album of Les Misérables in French is available from First Night Records.
There are many other recordings including The Original London Cast, The Original Broadway Cast, The Complete Symphonic International Cast, as well as many cast recordings in other languages such as Japanese, Czech, Danish, German, Hungarian and Spanish.
The 10th Anniversary Dream Cast Concert recording is available on both CD and DVD. The DVD includes Stage by Stage: The Making of Les Misérables.
To TopMiss Saigon
But Miss Saigon is not simply a re-telling of the Butterfly story. That was just a starting point from which to construct their own narrative, merging only some aspects of the story with their own original contemporary subject matter and contemporary characters. There was a sense of freedom in writing an original creation as compared to writing an adaptation. With Les Misérables they were tied to a fixed narrative, which was not only a great classic but a huge epic story and one which required the skilful compression of large chunks of narrative. With Miss Saigon, however, the technique was the reverse of compression, it was one of expansion. The Butterfly plot of a misunderstanding between two individuals of highly different cultures was retained but the story was projected into a tragic period of modern history when that basic misunderstanding between two people could reflect the deeper misunderstanding between their respective countries at war.
In many ways it was a very risky thing for two Frenchmen to be writing an English-produced musical of an American story about Vietnam. But Alain and Claude-Michel thrive on writing to the edge and taking risks - doing something completely new with each musical. Richard Maltby Jr. worked on the story and lyrics with Alain, and it was essential to have an American on board to inject a real understanding of American sensibility into the story. This was the first time that Alain was co-writing the lyrics in English and he found Richard an immensely sympathetic writing partner. As director, Nicholas Hytner found ways of staging seemingly impossible scenes, such as the evacuation from the American Embassy, with great imagination and visual flair.
Miss Saigon opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 20 September 1989. This is London’s oldest and most historically important theatre with a huge stage and a seating capacity of over 2,200. It was definitely the show of the moment and received mostly great reviews. Even the Guardian’s Michael Billington, normally known for his disdain of musicals, wrote that it was a first rate piece of popular theatre which proved that a musical could address a serious theme with sincerity, emotion and integrity. The show proved enormously popular with the public, becoming the longest running musical at that theatre closing only in October 1999 after a ten year run.
Miss Saigon opened at the Broadway Theatre in New York on 11 April 1991 with a record $37 million advance. But this was only after a major dispute with Equity over the casting of Jonathan Pryce, as they believed the role should be played by a Eurasian. The show’s opening was surrounded by a huge amount of hype, but with the largest advance that Broadway had ever seen it was virtually critic proof. However, with its controversial subject matter perhaps it’s not surprising that the reviews were somewhat mixed. They all seemed obsessed with the helicopter, which gave them the opportunity to delight in verbal witticisms, with headlines such as: “The chopper has landed!” But the public loved the show and it became Broadway’s sixth longest running show, seen there by more than 6 million people before closing after almost ten years in January 2001.
Miss Saigon has been opened by 26 companies worldwide. It has been translated into 11 different languages with productions in 23 countries all over the world. It has received many awards including three Tonys and two Olivier Awards and there are cast recordings in a variety of languages.
The Story
ACT ONE
Saigon – April 1975
The show opens in Dreamland, a sleazy bar for American GI’s, owned by the scheming Engineer. The bar girls sell themselves, not just for money, but for the hope of gaining a better life in America with one of the GI’s. Chris is utterly disillusioned with this way of life and ready to go home to America but, after a fake beauty contest to elect Miss Saigon, his friend John tries to lift his spirits by buying Kim, the beautiful new girl, for him. Chris is attracted to her and recognising her innocence, he tries to persuade her to leave alone, but the Engineer interrupts and Kim leads Chris away. During their night together, they fall deeply in love and Kim tells Chris that her parents have been killed and her village burned so that she had no choice but to come to the city to seek a living in any way she could. Not wanting her to return to work in the bar, Chris asks her to live with him. Although Saigon is about to fall, they hold a blessing ceremony with the other girls attending. The celebrations are interrupted by Thuy, to whom Kim’s father had promised her in marriage. Kim refuses to leave with him, guns are pulled and Thuy leaves cursing Kim for breaking her father’s word. Kim fears Chris will leave her now but instead he promises to take her back to America.
Ho Chi Minh City – April 1978
Three years have passed and Thuy, now a powerful commissar, orders the Engineer to find Kim for him. Kim believes that Chris will return to her, not knowing that he is now married to an American wife, Ellen. Chris, back in America, is deeply troubled by nightmares about Kim. The Engineer finds Kim, and Thuy insists that she leaves with him, but she refuses. When she shows him her little son Tam, Thuy claims that the child will blight their new life together. He is about to kill Tam, but Kim shoots Thuy first. Kim goes to the Engineer for help to get to America to be with Chris, and when he realises that Tam is the son of an American Marine he agrees. He quickly realises that if he poses as Tam’s uncle, he will at last be able to get the American visa he has long dreamed of. While the Engineer goes off to arrange a passage, Kim dreams of the chance of a better life for her son in America, all the time knowing that, if necessary, she would give her life for her child. They leave the city with all the other people in search of a new life and hope for the future.
ACT TWO
Atlanta – September 1978
John holds a concert to raise money for the Bui-Doi, the children of the Vietnamese bar girls, and is engaged in helping to unite them with their American fathers. He informs Chris that he has a son and that Kim is alive, and Chris reminds him of how hard he tried to get back to her in the face of impossible odds. Chris then decides to go to Bangkok with Ellen and John to find them.
Bangkok – October 1978
The Engineer and Kim are now working at a bar in Bangkok. It was the Engineer who had filled in the appropriate forms, and it is John who arrives to tell them that Chris is there too. But seeing how much Kim still loves Chris, John is unable to tell her about Ellen. As Kim gets ready to meet Chris, a flashback sequence shows how they became separated during the fall of Saigon. The sequence is initiated nightmarishly by the ghost of Thuy, who claims to be the guilt inside Kim’s head. The scene clearly shows that Chris intended to marry Kim when they got to America. As the nightmare fades, the Engineer rushes in with the address of Chris’s hotel. He wants to control the situation and sends Kim to find Chris first. But the plan misfires, and it is Ellen that Kim finds in the hotel room. Devastated to find that Chris has “another” wife, when she believed herself to be married to him, Kim’s only thoughts now are for her son. She begs Ellen to take Tam back to America, but Ellen refuses to take a child from his mother. After Kim has left, Chris and John return. Ellen feels she has been misled about Chris and Kim’s relationship, and he tries to explain with great honesty what he has been through. They both agree that it would be best to support Kim and Tam in Bangkok, and only John realises that this will not satisfy Kim’s dreams for her son. The Engineer, believing that everything has gone to plan fantasizes about his new life in America where he can fulfil his own American Dream. The heartbroken Kim prepares Tam for a new life with his father. As she hears Chris arriving, she kisses Tam goodbye and sends him out to meet his father. Realising that she is the only obstacle to Tam’s future with his father, Kim takes her own life using the very gun that Chris had left for her protection. Chris finds her and as she lies dying in his arms, Ellen now accepts her role with Tam.
Recordings
There have been several different recordings of Miss Saigon including The London Cast Recording, The Complete Recording and several cast recordings in other languages including German, Dutch, Danish and Japanese.
A Video of the making of Miss Saigon: The Heat Is On is available from First Night Videos.
To TopMartin Guerre
Alain and Claude-Michel, however, could not get Martin Guerre out of their minds and so were unable to move on to anything else. They kept coming up with new ideas and decided they could not rest until they had rewritten the show. The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds became the new, nurturing home for a completely rewritten version with Stephen Clark co-writing the lyrics and Conall Morrison directing. The Artistic Director, Jude Kelly, invited Alain and Claude-Michel to rework their musical there and in a co-production between The West Yorkshire Playhouse and Cameron Mackintosh Martin Guerre opened on 8 December 1998. It then embarked on a national tour, which ended in Bristol on 7 August 1999, after 227 performances, before being taken to the States.
The North American première of Martin Guerre was at the renowned Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis on 29 September 1999. The Artistic Director Joe Dowling welcomed the opportunity for a co-production between the Guthrie Theater and Cameron Mackintosh so that Martin Guerre could be fine-tuned for its first American audience. There was some more reworking of the show for this production. Some musical numbers were moved and there was a general softening of the village characters to make them more likeable and more individual. This production then toured, playing in Detroit, Washington, Seattle and Los Angeles. See UPDATES section for details of the latest version of Martin Guerre.
The Story
ACT ONE
On the Battlefield, 1564
After a fierce battle, Martin and Arnaud reflect on the futility of their lives as soldiers and on their close friendship, and Martin reveals that he was married at fourteen.In Artigat, seven years earlier
Bertrande, Guillaume, and Martin are playing childishly together when the scene merges into the wedding of Bertrande and Martin, with Guillaume watching on jealously. Martin’s Uncle Pierre and the other villagers forcefully impress upon the young couple the need for a child, an important heir for Catholic Artigat. Protestants briefly appear, and are treated with hostility. Martin’s failure to consummate the marriage is seen as the work of the devil and the cause of the continuing deluge the village is suffering from. Father Dominic publicly whips Martin to release the demons in him. Martin, totally humiliated, rejects Bertrande’s sympathy and decides to leave in search of a new life.
On the Battlefield, 1564
Arnaud persuades Martin that it is time to return to Artigat, and they decide to go together. But the Protestants attack, and Martin is badly wounded saving Arnaud’s life. As he lies dying he asks Arnaud to tell Bertrande he is sorry.
Artigat, 1564
Artigat is suffering from a drought now, and again it is Bertrande’s barren state that is held to blame. In her despair she turns to the more sympathetic covert Protestants and becomes one of them. Father Dominic insists that Bertrande marry Guillaume, but she hates him and refuses, always hoping that Martin will return.
Artigat, three months later
Benoit, the village fool, is out in the fields with Louison, his beloved scarecrow, when Arnaud arrives looking for Bertrande. He tells Benoit his name but when Benoit rushes into the village to tell them a stranger is looking for Bertrande they don’t give him the chance to say who it is and immediately jump to the conclusion that Martin has returned. Bertrande does realise that it is not Martin, but when Arnaud tells her that Martin is dead she decides to let Arnaud stay, which is what the village wants, rather than be forced into marriage with Guillaume. Arnaud takes up village life with gusto, and when the harvest is good they believe it is because of him. Arnaud worries about the deception, but by now he and Bertrande have fallen deeply in love and eventually they allow themselves to make love. Bertrande confesses to him that she is now a Protestant, and Arnaud accompanies her to the Protestant service held secretly in the woods. At the feast Arnaud announces that Bertrande is carrying their child, but Guillaume denounces him as a Protestant and draws a knife on him. In order to save him, Benoit stuns everyone by saying that it is not Martin, and Arnaud is arrested so that he can stand trial. As the curtain falls there is a dramatic glimpse of Martin, alive and on his way back to Artigat.
ACT TWO
Artigat, a week later
Martin is seen wondering if Bertrande still loves him, while Arnaud is in jail believing he is going to die. The court case begins, and the Judge calls for witnesses to identify who the prisoner really is. Nothing is clear, the Catholics and Protestants cause uproar, and the judge has just ruled that there is no case to answer when Martin appears. Bertrande is called to identify the real Martin, but Arnaud then confesses and Bertrande admits that she knew all the time that he was not Martin. The judge sends Arnaud to jail, leaving it up to Martin to decide his fate. Guillaume whips up hatred for the Protestants, inciting violence and ripping Louison apart.
At the Jail
Arnaud tries to explain to Martin that he believed him dead, and although Martin feels betrayed he unselfishly sets him free so that Arnaud and Bertrande can continue to live their lives together.
In the Village Square
Guillaume and the Catholics attack the Protestants and burn the village, many of them dying in the fighting. Guillaume holds a knife to Bertrande’s throat, and Martin and Arnaud both try to distract his attention away from her. As Guillaume is about to stab Martin, Arnaud intervenes and is stabbed instead, saving Martin’s life. Benoit then kills Guillaume with the heavy wooden post that supported Louison. As Arnaud lies dying in Bertrande’s arms, he asks Martin to forgive him and to care for his child. While still proclaiming her love for Arnaud, Bertrande reaches out for Martin’s hand.
Recordings
The Original London Cast Recording and The 1999 Cast Recording are available from First Night Records
To TopWuthering Heights – The Ballet
Originally Derek Deane of English National Ballet commissioned Claude-Michel to write the music. However, shortly after the score was completed Deane left ENB. Northern Ballet Theatre has a good reputation for successful narrative-led productions and so Claude-Michel contacted their new artistic director David Nixon. Nixon was ‘blown away’ by the fact that he’d never previously had the chance to work with a composer in devising a piece and had always had to pick existing music. He was inspired, almost seduced, by Claude-Michel’s music and his passion for it, although at times a little intimidated by the challenge of living up to it. But it was a genuine meeting of minds and Claude-Michel was thrilled to be working with a choreographer who so loved the music.
Recording
Wuthering Heights: The Ballet is available on CD from First Night Records
To TopOne Day More
The Pirate Queen
The Story
(Based on Chicago Première)
ACT ONE
Clew Bay
The Chieftain of the Clan O’Malley, Dubhdara, prepares to set sail on his ship the Ceol Na Mara (the Music of the Ocean). His young daughter Grania is desperate to accompany her father and her childhood companion Tiernan. But not only are they dangerous times at sea, it was considered bad luck to have a woman on a boat. Grania, still determined to go, disguises herself as a boy and secretly joins them.
Onboard the Ceol Na Mara
During a fierce storm at sea she bravely climbs up to the mainsail spar and cuts down the sail to prevent the ship capsizing. Fondly lamenting his daughter’s tomboyishness, Dubhdara agrees to let Grania stay, and she swears she will serve him and Ireland without fail. Aboard the ship, Grania and Tiernan’s relationship alters from childhood fondness to adult love. During a battle at sea in which the English are defeated, Grania fights fiercely proving her courage and her swordsmanship. She saves her father’s life, and he pronounces her Queen of the Pirates.
Queen Elizabeth’s Bedroom
In England, Elizabeth has just been crowned queen and is eager to prove her statesmanship to the men at court. The courtiers try to convince her that all is well, but her confidante Lord Bingham is forced to admit that they have lost a ship to the Irish, and what’s more to a female captain. Elizabeth is outraged at this and demands that Grace O’Malley be defeated.
Clew Bay
Back in Ireland, there is turmoil as English oppression grows. Dubhdara believes that their cause would be strengthened if the warring clans were united through the marriage of his daughter Grania with Donal, son of the chieftain of the neighbouring Clan O’Flaherty. He does not demand this of Grania but leaves her to choose. Grania, although very much in love with Tiernan, puts duty and her country first and agrees to the marriage.
The Shebeen at Rockfleet
Donal, however, is a womaniser and a drunk who most enjoys visiting the shebeen, where there are women of loose morals and plenty to drink, with his mates, and he sees no reason why this should change after the marriage.
Clew Bay
In accordance with Irish laws the couple are bound together initially for three years. The clans are united at the wedding and celebrate with much dancing. As Grania and Donal set off for Rockfleet, Tiernan mourns his loss but pledges his constancy to her.
Rockfleet
Grania’s marriage proves to be a stormy affair due to Donal’s continued womanising and drinking. When the English attack, it is Grania who leads the women in fighting them off, In the process, she wounds Lord Bingham, ensuring he becomes an even more bitter enemy. She has won the respect of the Clan O’Flaherty, and when Tiernan arrives to tell her that her father is dying, they accompany her back to Clew Bay.
Clew Bay
Grania arrives in time to hear her father’s last words and promises him that she and Donal will have a child. With Dubhdara’s death, Grania becomes the chieftain, most probably the first and only woman in this position in Ireland.
ACT TWO
Onboard the Ceol Na Mara
Grania, now captain of the ship, gives birth to a son, Eoin, on board. Shortly after, they are attacked by the English, and Grania, still weak from giving birth, leads the battle to defeat them. Donal has shown himself to be a cowardly, drunken traitor, wishing to surrender at the first hint of trouble. Grania is outraged at his behaviour and, in the tradition of the Brehon Law, she dismisses him publicly, officially dissolving their marriage. Tiernan and Grania are now free to declare their love but they both hold back from doing so.
The Queen’s Court
Elizabeth is enraged at Bingham’s failure to defeat Grania, but he has colluded with the treacherous scoundrel Donal to ensure Grania’s downfall.
Clew Bay
Donal turns up at the baby’s Christening and demands to see his son. Just as Grania agrees to this, English troops burst in and seize her. Donal reveals his betrayal and tries to take his son. Tiernan tries to stop him, and in the fight Donal is killed. Tiernan takes the child in accordance with Grania’s wishes.
Dublin
Grania has been in jail for some years, and the English have won supremacy in Ireland. The Irish chieftains come to surrender unconditionally. Tiernan offers the English a trade - his freedom for Grania’s - and the queen agrees. Elizabeth finds herself affected by this turn of events and reflects on her own life as a woman. Tiernan is imprisoned and Grania set free to care for her child, now a young boy.
Clew Bay
Grania’s joy at being reunited with her son is tempered by the realisation of how Ireland has changed during her imprisonment. The country has grown desolate, her lands are ravaged, her people are hungry and injustice reigns. Grania decides to go to England to seek an audience with the queen.
The Queen’s Court
These two powerful women, one a reigning queen and another without a crown, find themselves face to face, woman to woman, in private conversation unheard by eager courtiers. The most unexpected truce is hammered out between them, freeing Clew Bay from the worst of English rule. Tiernan is granted his freedom and Lord Bingham falls into disgrace.
Onboard the Ceol Na Mara
Grania and Tiernan are reunited at last. Unencumbered now by war and previous alliances, they can finally pledge themselves to each other.
Recording
The Original Broadway Cast Recording is available on Sony BMG Music Entertainment/Masterworks Broadway
To TopMARGUERITE
Marguerite is loosely based on The Lady of the Camellias (La Dame aux Camélias) by Alexandre Dumas, fils. It’s one of the greatest romantic novels in the world and is the story that also inspired Verdi’s opera La Traviata. But this time the story is set during the Second World War, at the time of the Nazi occupation and the dark hours of the French collaboration. Marguerite, the heroine, is the beautiful and notorious mistress of a high ranking German officer, Otto. A young jazz musician, Armand, falls obsessively in love with her and their love story is played out amidst the excitements and dangers of occupied Paris.
Marguerite is a smaller show than their previous ones, and it is the first time that Alain and Claude-Michel have worked from the beginning on a musical that is not through-sung. They have been working as a team of three with the triple Oscar-winning musical legend Michel Legrand. Alain has previously worked with Michel Legrand on a theatrical adaptation of Jacques Demy’s French movie musical Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, which played in Paris in 2003. Michel has also toured the world in concert with Marie Zamora, Alain’s wife. The project has been under development for the last six years, together with Jonathan Kent, the co-founder of the Almeida, and a highly successful director in his own right.
Ruthie Henshall, the award-winning West End and Broadway actress, returns to the London stage to play the title role. No stranger to Alain and Claude-Michel’s work, Ruthie was in the original ensemble for Miss Saigon, before playing the role of Ellen, and later, the role of Fantine in Les Misérables. She has been a celebrity judge on ITV’s Dancing On Ice. Julian Ovenden plays Armand and Alexander Hanson plays the German officer, Otto.
See more in the UPDATES section.
To Top