Franz and Marie | Charing Cross Theatre

Franz and Marie is a new musical based on Georg Büchner's 1837 unfinished play Woyzeck, a sorrowful tale that has had many adaptations, re-imaginings and revivals since, as the playwright's work became more influential over the years. A previous musical adaption of the play by The Singing Loin band members Chris Broderick and Rob Shepherd premiered in South Korea in 2014, which has in turn formed the basis for this new production. Retitled as Franz and Marie, this new adaptation of the well known story by Teresa Howard, places both characters in the centre of the story. (this review contains spoilers) 

Franz (Brenock O'Connor), once a lead soldier, is left weakened by his three month long diet of water and peas, as he allows himself to be the subject of an experiment by a known doctor. Terrorised by nightmares and with a severe case of PTSD from the war, Franz spends much of his time withdrawn from the world and very self-critical. However, his wife and love of his life, Marie (Jade Oswald), pushes past his walls to remind him that he is capable of love and that their newborn son needs a loving father to look up to. Franz spends much of his time with his squad, who often are dismissive of his long standing romance and gentle nature, apart from his good friend Schmitt (Max Alexander-Taylor). Franz and Marie seem to be returning to normality, even attending a special fair in town before it all goes south with the introduction of Drum Major Varg (Matthew Heywood), a good looking, charming but despicable soldier who lusts after Marie.

It's a gruesome, bleak and sorrowful story with very room for joy, making it an interesting choice to adapt into a musical; and yet this production makes sense of it all. Weaving the painfully relevant themes together, the musical impressively creates a gripping and emotional tale that hooks the audience. Directed by Michael Oakley, the musical is ruthless and unflinching, putting Franz and Marie through their darkest moments on stage. Admittedly, at times, the musical can be a hard watch, as Franz slowly loses his sense of self and Marie is robbed of hers. The musical doesn't shy away from the brutality of its actions, even turning them into a bizarrely and ironically upbeat number. The musical takes two very different approaches to the story, letting the villainous captain and doctor play the parts of the fool, and yet keeps Varg chillingly realistic. It's a conflicted method to tell a story, and yet works to elevate the otherwise unbearable misery that is inflicted on Franz and Marie.

Act one is a slow jog, with some scenes feeling more like placeholders or plot points rather than fully realised versions of themselves, yet finds its footing and really soars around the midpoint of the first act, with Act Two being crafted meticulously. It's a show that progressively gets better as it understands its own merit, but this isn't to say it's an unlikeable start, just a rather slow one. Oakley seems to have taken a particularly liking to wrenching out every last ounce of emotion from the characters, having both O'Connor and Oswald writhing from pain of their actions and consequences, both metaphorically and literally.

This heavy story is lifted to great heights by the music, originally by Broderick and Shepherd, in this new adaptation by Teresa Howard. Performed by a vastly talented cast of 14 (12 of whom are actor-musicians), the music seeps into the whole show and provides it with a rich layer that creates something special on stage. With the odd exception, the score is a brilliant marriage of music and lyrics, creating compelling tales within each song or reaching emotional depths that aren't accessible otherwise. Its particularly riveting to see how the music creeps into the silence as the characters' voices haunt Franz. The music is so integral to the characters, it feels odd that this musical had not always been written for actor-musos.

Ben Wright's choreography is used well throughout, from the simple yet elegant movements as the townswomen weave in and around Marie and her baby, to the absurdity of a fever dream that as the doctor and his minions run circles around poor Franz, but most impressive in Pub On the Corner, as the cast dance and sway to the music whilst travelling with their instruments. Brett Gerecke's set hides a striking black and red striped background that issues a sense of foreboding with patched curtains that hang about the stage. These curtains are often used to hide the band set up when in use to help isolate the characters, but mostly serve a pretty background detailing to the show along with wooden crates. The show doesn't utilise other sets or larger props (excluding a rather torturous high chair), which works in its favour to not derail from the rawness of the emotions experienced.

Christopher Nairne's lighting design and Andrew Johnson's sound design provides the show with much needed context, as Franz's flashbacks and nightmares about the war are often conveyed through these theatrical elements to great effect. Nairne also does well to use the spotlights to highlight characters in the scenes, distinguishing them from the ensemble playing instruments around the stage with ease. Mandy Gordon and Ronin Traynor are credited as the intimacy coordinator and fight director respectively, a welcome addition given the severity of the sexual assault scene which is shockingly realistic (nothing is seen nor does anything occur beyond a struggle). As a general note, perhaps it were pertinent to update the show's content warnings to include sexual assault, as it can be triggering for some.

The cast outdo themselves with heartbreaking portrayals of these characters, along with their excellence in musical talent. Antony Lam, Anne-Marie Piazza, Emily Panes and Tom Aubrey (in his professional debut) are scene stealing in their musical numbers Symptom Symposium and Symptom Coda as medical students, not to mention undertaking a variety of roles as the ensemble and even more musical instruments. Steve Simmons takes the role of Sergeant Ursid to heart, bellowing orders with an authoritative voice. Richard Emerson Gould is amusingly sinister as Doctor Simian, with a large grin and joyful exterior that conceal a psychopath. Mark Meadows as Captain Peccary oscillated between a comedic fool alongside Gould, or a rather cold hearted elder who sings wonderfully.

Elaine Hua Jones does a great job as Kat, as she slowly provides the character with layers. Paula James is mesmerising as Zella with her solo song Inconsolable Boy, with a rich voice that is both soothing and stirring. Alexander-Taylor is wonderful as André Schmitt; his steady nature anchors the musical, especially his solo number Enough, which show off his vocal talent and allows for his final scene to become one that leaves audiences emotionally distraught. Alexander-Taylor, one of the best actor-musicians in the industry as evidenced by his string of credits, can seemingly play every instrument as he plays nearly everything on stage at various points throughout the show. Eve Polycarpou as Vashti, the musical's mystical storyteller come fortune teller, is a magnetic performer. Polycarpou, who has dazzled on stages for decades, reminds audiences of undeniable her stage presence with powerful vocals that seem to have a little magic woven into the tales that she tells. 

Heywood as Drum Major Varg arguably emerges as the show's standout performer in the villainous role. Sickeningly sweet, Heywood's performance feels so painfully authentic it's almost unwatchable as he spits each slur out, decreeing both Franz and Marie to a doomed end. Heywood is so convincing in this role that audiences are unforgiving, even in his jaunty Pub on the Corner number, however, reassures audiences of his charm and talent as he plays a number of instruments, often smiling proudly at his fellow cast members.

Oswald is fantastic as Marie, finding the sweet spot of Marie's natural sensitivity now shrouded in strength as she must hold herself together for Franz and for their baby, despite everything inside of her slowly eroding. Oswald occasionally lets these cracks show before hiding them with a matured performance that will no doubt resonate with many. Oswald becomes a vessel for emotion as she furious tries to hold Franz together, constantly wishing, hoping and working towards a brighter future for them both.

O'Connor as Franz seems to enjoy the challenge of perhaps the most unfortunate and miserable of any musical theatre character. O'Connor goes above and beyond to commit to the role, portraying the deeply disturbed soldier who has forgotten how to love anew. Through his physicality and a heartbreaking voice of defeat and despair, O'Connor's Franz is pitiful, thus making his losing battle against the darkness inside his head all the more awful. O'Connor's performance is gripping and audiences can not look away, with him being unafraid to access the pits of his raw anguish, often letting his voice be lined with a guttural underlying tone that makes every song of his heart wrenching.

Franz and Marie is far from the blueprint of a perfect musical. With a story that is wrapped in sorrow and doomed from the start, it doesn't lend itself well to an enjoyable production, but a certainly a memorable one. If nothing else convinces one to see this production, come for the incredible talented cast of actor musicians who will whisk you away to a different world through the power of good music.

Franz and Marie is currently playing at the Charing Cross Theatre until 14th November - tickets and more information can be found here. 

★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Danny Kaan