Marguerite - Theatre Royal Haymarket

SYNOPSIS

Marguerite
 
London's Theatre Royal Haymarket is the place to be in 2008 for theatrical entertainment. On May 7 the curtain goes up at this famous venue on a world premiere of a new musical - Marguerite. Led by a star-studded cast that includes the likes of Ruthie Henshall, Julian Ovenden and Alex Hansen, the production promises to deliver high drama and emotion in spades. Critics are already touting it as a musical production to rival the West End greats of Les Miserables and Miss Saigon - and given that Marguerite is the creation of the same composer-lyricist partnership, namely that of Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil, it has the potential to be a blockbuster of a musical.

Schonberg and Boublil

Schonberg and Boublil first found success together in 1973 with their musical La Revolution Francaise. This they followed up with a pop-opera stage adaptation of Les Miserables in 1980 in their native French language. It achieved international acclaim, and then became a worldwide hit upon its translation into English.
 
Miss Saigon - an adaptation of Puccini's Madame Butterfly - became Schonberg and Boublil's next project in 1989, and met with similarly massive success. In 1996 the two collaborated once again on Martin Guerre. This was to be their last theatrical creation until now and the release of Marguerite.

Marguerite - The Story

Marguerite is a musical that takes its inspiration from the French romantic novel - La Dame aux Camelias - written by Alexandre Dumas. Under the direction of Jonathan Kent and with a music score by the legendary oscar-winner Michel Legrand, the musical is the story of Marguerite, mistress to a high-ranking Nazi officer in occupied Paris during World War II, and her lover, Armand, a musician and member of the French resistance movement.

Armand is half Marguerite's age. But her beauty has him falling obsessively in love with her. The two of them conduct a dangerous love affair in a world where discovery would lead to some very grave consequences for both of them.

A tale of passion, romance, intrigue and consequence, Marguerite is the 'must-see' Show in London's West End during 2008.

Marguerite - The Original Cast

Ruthie Henshall is a familiar name to many theatregoers in the West End and on Broadway. In Marguerite she has been cast in the lead role and will play opposite Julian Ovenden, who takes on the character of Armand, Marguerite's lover. Alex Hansen, whose most recent theatre role has been that of Captain Von Trapp in the Sound of Music (showing at the London Palladium), takes the role of Otto - the Nazi German officer who has claimed Marguerite as his own.

Marguerite is initially set to run between 7 May and 1 November 2008 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.