By Matthew Blank
16 May 2008
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| Ruthie Henshall is Marguerite |
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| photo by Tristram Kenton |
The world-premiere staging of the new musical Marguerite began previews in London May 7 and will officially open May 20.
The final production of Jonathan Kent's Theatre Royal Haymarket season, Marguerite boasts an original score by Michel Legrand (Amour) and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer from the original French libretto by Alain Boublil. Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Jonathan Kent collaborated on the book. Kent directs the production.
Set during the Second World War, Marguerite, according to press notes, "draws inspiration from one of the greatest of romantic novels, 'La Dame aux Camélias' by Alexandre Dumas. Marguerite is the beautiful and notorious mistress of a high ranking German officer. Armand is a young musician half her age who falls obsessively in love with her. Their dangerous love story is played out against the background of Occupied Paris."
The musical stars Olivier Award winner Ruthie Henshall in the title role with Julian Ovenden as Armand and Alexander Hanson as the German officer Otto.
Ovenden has appeared on Broadway in Butley and played Franklin Shepard in the Donmar Warehouse's Merrily We Roll Along. Hanson was recently seen as Captain Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music at the London Palladium.
Tickets and further information may be found at www.marguerite-themusical.com.
Here is a look at the production, which runs through November 1:
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Alexander Hanson and Ruthie Henshall | Julian Ovenden and Ruthie Henshall |
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Julian Ovenden and Ruthie Henshall |
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Julian Ovenden and Ruthie Henshall |
All photos by Tristram Kenton
